Strange Bedfellows
by magalena
Summary: After a night partying with friends, Hermione wakes up with only the vivid memory of wild crazy sex, but doesn't know with who. It must have been a dream, right? At least that's what she thinks, until she rolls over and sees... Dear Merlin! Suddenly it's not a dream it's a nightmare. This story is complete in seven chapters and I will be posting weekly until done.
1. Chapter 1

AN:

I would like to offer my unending gratitude to my lovely alpha-reader/cheerleader: Morethansirius, beta-reader extraordinaire: Delphipsmith, and brit-picker/cheerleader/back-up beta: Talesofsnape. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dears! I can't say it enough, you three are totally awesome.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

* * *

Hermione curled on her side and snuggled down into the warmth of the bed as she slowly came awake. She half expected to be confronted by a raging hangover, but that didn't seem to be the case. A mild, dull headache pounded in her temples, but nothing more.

She yawned and stretched a bit as she rolled onto her back and threw one arm across her eyes. Muzzily, she tried to recall exactly just what _had _happened last night. With a smile she remembered having the most realistic sex dream she'd ever had. Gods, if only it was actually like that in real life, so very wild, hot, and unbelievably orgasmic. The only problem was, the mystery lover from her dream did not seem to have a face. Clearly it was only her over active libido combined with her vivid imagination.

Suddenly the bed shifted slightly and a soft snore came from right next to her. Hermione gasped and her breath caught in her throat. Dear Merlin, was it more than merely a dream? Had she in fact had the most mind blowing sex of her life? But.. with who? Which would be worse: an absolute stranger or someone she knew? She turned warily, unsure what to expect. One of the pillow shams was bunched up between them, and she had to raise up on her elbow a bit to peek over top of it.

What she saw caused her to drop back down to the bed. A moan of horror escaped her mouth before she could clap her hand over it. Sweet Morgana, she must still be dreaming—it was more like a nightmare really. It wasn't possible—it just couldn't be!

Hermione slid off the edge of the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. She didn't want to face him if he woke up right now. She had no idea whatsoever to say to him. She slowly backed away from the bed, glancing around frantically for her wand. She finally spied it on the dresser. Tiptoeing over she picked it up and _Accio'_d her things—her favorite little black dress, spiky heels, jewelry, her under things and cloak—in a shaky whisper.

All she was currently wearing was a man's black tee shirt, inside out. She couldn't Apparate from the room—a security measure—but there was no way she was taking the time to get dressed. She needed to get out before he woke up. She threw her cloak on over the tee shirt, fastened the clasp and slipped into her shoes. The rest of her things she shrunk and stuffed into her pocket. She looked around to make sure she hadn't left anything behind and quickly made her way to the door.

Just as she reached for the door knob, a voice behind her mumbled something unintelligible. Cringing, she froze and slowly turned to glance back over her shoulder. He was still asleep, half in and half out of the covers. One bare leg hung over the edge of the bed and she noticed that he still had his socks on. He mumbled something else, scratched his crotch, and rolled over toward the side of the bed Hermione had just vacated.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione opened the door and slipped out, leaving Harry Potter sound asleep in the bed.

* * *

Back at her flat, dressed snugly in her favorite ragged sweat pants and tee shirt she tried to calm herself with a cup of tea, but she just couldn't stop thinking about the horror of waking up next to her best friend. Finally she set the tea aside and began to pace nervously as she tried to recall exactly what had happened. How in the name of all that was holy had she ended up in bed with Harry? Maybe nothing had happened at all. It was a big bed, after all, maybe they'd just passed out together on it. It had seemed that Harry was more tangled up in the covers than actually under the sheets. Yes, that theory was entirely plausible. The sex might have been a wild dream—that was possible—even likely—wasn't it? But if that was the case how had she ended up wearing nothing but a man's black t-shirt. A vintage Black Sabbath t-shirt, no less, she had discovered once she got home and turned it right side out. Perhaps it was something that had belonged to his dad, or possibly Sirius. He seemed more the type to follow Muggle bands of that era. Harry had probably kept the shirt for sentimental reasons.

Hermione tried to reconstruct the night leading up to this morning. Pansy had coerced Hermione, Luna, and Millie to go out with her to celebrate her promotion, to dinner and a popular new club called the Dragon's Lair afterward. Pansy and Luna worked together in the Department of Mysteries. Hermione had worked there with them until recently, (that was where they had all become friends), but about six months earlier she'd taken a job working with Professor Snape doing Potions research. Except he was Severus now—she wasn't supposed to call him professor, now that they were colleagues. Pansy's friend Millie was an Auror and she often hung out with the three of them too.

In typical Slytherin fashion, Pans had had an ulterior motive for her choice of venue. Pansy had developed a huge thing for George Weasley and had been trying to get his attention without seeming obvious for weeks. Hermione had offered to simply set the two up on a blind date, but Pansy didn't want George to know she fancied him (it would put her at a disadvantage, she'd said). Seeing a crowd full of Weasleys laughing at the bar, Hermione had huffed at her friend's Slytherin machinations: she wouldn't let Hermione set her up, yet she'd arranged for their night out to be at a club where Draco Malfoy's stag night was being held. Since Draco was marrying Ginny Weasley, it was a sure thing that her brother George would be among the guests, along with the rest of the Weasley clan, and every Slytherin known to wizard-kind, it seemed.

She hadn't been all that drunk, had she? Then again, the liquor had been flowing freely. Once the girls had been discovered at the club, they hadn't spent another sickle, as every time they turned around someone else was buying them a round.

She'd chatted with all the Weasleys, she remembered that clearly, even managed a few polite words to Ron. Although their breakup about two years earlier had been mutual, they'd just never been able to restore their old friendship. Things had been awkward between them ever since and they couldn't seem to handle the ex-lovers but now just friends kind of relationship that Harry and Ginny had.

Now that she thought about it, maybe she had actually indulged a bit more than was her norm. She'd been dancing and having fun and hadn't noticed how often a fresh drink appeared out of nowhere. Oh all right, yes—she'd got thoroughly pissed. Trying to recall exactly what had happened, she had a fuzzy memory of chatting up Malfoy's father and Severus at the bar.

Oh sweet fuck—had she actually asked Lucius Malfoy if he wanted to taste her slippery nipple? Severus had spewed his firewhisky and laughed so hard at the look on Malfoy's face that he had nearly choked. She'd never actually heard Severus laugh out loud before. When he could breathe again, Severus had offered to buy her a drink. Hermione groaned aloud, recalling that she'd turned to the bartender and told him she wanted a screaming orgasm, compliments of Severus Snape. That had elicited an explosive reaction from Lucius, similar to Severus' earlier one.

What had she done next? Oh, yes, she'd wandered off to sit with Millie, Pansy and George, forgetting to gather her drink from Severus. Not long after he'd arrived at their table with her drink in hand and his as well. Pansy invited him to sit down and before long Lucius had slipped in at the end of the table.

Hermione had danced with several of her old classmates and found herself having quite a good time. She didn't really let loose often and for some reason, last night, her natural inhibitions had disappeared. She asked Severus to dance, but he declined with a curt, "I don't dance," which actually disappointed her. When Lucius immediately offered, with a pointed remark about never turning down a lady, she accepted; Severus' eyes had narrowed and he frowned at Lucius, which had rather pleased her. Lucius took her hand and led her onto the dance floor. As they moved away, she heard Pansy speaking to Severus in a scolding voice, although she couldn't hear what was said.

Lucius, to her surprise, had some smooth moves on the dance floor, and after the first dance he held onto her hand to prevent her from leaving, as he spoke to the DJ wizard and requested a slower song. They danced again, Lucius this time holding her very close, causing Hermione to feel both aroused and apprehensive.

It was after that point that the evening began to get even more hazy.

She'd danced another dance with Lucius, one with Draco, one with Charlie, and one more with Lucius. She had returned to the table a bit breathless, and plopped down in her seat next to George. Hermione grabbed the nearest glass, over Pansy's protest that it was George's drink, and drained it in two huge swallows. Before she knew what was happening, Severus had grabbed her hand and pulled her back out onto the dance floor. Apparently he did dance after all.

That was last thing she remembered clearly—apart from the mind blowing sex dream—until waking up next to Harry this morning. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't recall how she'd gone from being on the dance floor with Severus to the room upstairs in bed next to Harry.

She could close her eyes and replay the sex dream in graphic detail, yet, she couldn't visualize her lover's face at all. Elbows resting on her knees, Hermione hung her head and buried her face in her hands. She wouldn't have shagged Harry, no matter how drunk she was... Would she? He really was like her brother; the very idea was just too disturbing.

Finally Hermione sat up and took a deep breath. She would simply put the idea out of her mind. She wouldn't say anything unless Harry did. She'd just pretend it never happened, and probably it really hadn't. After all, it most likely had been just a dream. She carefully folded up the black tee shirt and slipped it into the very back of the drawer that held her knickers and nightgowns.

* * *

Things were a bit awkward with Severus at work on Monday—her fear that he would make sarcastic remarks about her actions, made her unusually silent—but before long everything returned to normal. He would snark over something and she would snap back, She refused to be cowed by him now that they were colleagues, and things simply went on as usual.

At mid-week, Harry showed up after work for their every-other-Wednesday dinner and drinks at the local pub as if nothing had happened. This could mean one of three things: A. Harry was taking her tack and pretending nothing had happened, or B. he didn't remember anything either, or C. nothing actually _had_ happened, meaning that Hermione was worrying for no good reason. By Merlin's saggy ball sac, she sincerely hoped it was C., but she didn't dare ask, or even hint at anything. Much better to let sleeping wizards lie, just as she had on that morning.

She didn't see Pansy for the next several weeks, presumably because she had bagged her Weasley and was spending most of her free time with him now. In fact, all of their schedules had been so busy that nearly six weeks went by before the girls finally got together again, this time for Luna's birthday lunch, on the last Sunday in March, Pansy pulled Hermione aside for a moment.

"So... did you have a good time at the Dragon's Lair last month?" she asked in a low voice, glancing at Luna to make sure she wasn't listening.

Hermione hesitated but answered honestly. "I did, but to tell you the truth, Pansy, I really don't remember much of what happened towards the end of the night. I had way too much to drink. I should have been more careful."

"You can't remember. Really?" Pansy looked nervous. "How are things going with Snape at work? Are you two getting along okay?"

Hermione eyed Pansy suspiciously at the sudden change of subject. "Yes, everything is fine at work. Why would you ask me that? What's going on, Pansy? Spill," she demanded.

Pansy shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, I just wondered. He seemed upset when you accepted Mr. Malfoy's invitation to dance. Jealous, almost. I told him outright that if he had any interest in you whatsoever, he'd better get his act together and make his move. I said you were a catch and if he let you get away then he was nine kinds of a fool."

"Oh, my stars, Pansy. You didn't."

"I did," responded Pansy with a grin. "When you came back to the table and then he dragged you back onto the dance floor I thought he was taking my advice. You two looked very cozy out there, I must say. You were all over each other."

"Me and Severus?" Hermione squeaked. What did Pansy mean, they were 'all over each other'? That didn't sound like Severus at all. He never let loose and especially not in public. "The last thing I remember is going onto the dance floor with him..." she said, and trailed off in dismay.

Pansy nodded. "I'll admit I was a little worried about you, especially after you drank half of George's drink..." She stopped suddenly and looked very guilty.

Hermione frowned and grabbed Pansy's wrist. "What is that supposed to mean, Pans? What exactly was wrong with George's drink?" Her voice rose and heads turned to stare at them. Not letting go of Pansy's wrist she dragged her to the end of the hallway by the lady's. "Now you'd better talk fast, Parkinson, because I'm getting really ticked off here."

"I put a..." Pansy mumbled something Hermione couldn't make out, her face flushed and downcast.

"You put a what?" Hermione asked. "In where?"

Finally Pansy looked up, "I put a Lust Potion in George's drink," she admitted bluntly.

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock. "Why on earth would you do something so stupid?"

Pansy looked miserable. "I wanted him to want me as much as I wanted him."

"Oh, Pansy. You're an idiot sometimes, girl." Hermione hugged her friend tight and then held her at arm's length. "You are a catch, and George Weasley would be nine kinds of fool if he didn't want you," she said, throwing Pansy's words back at her. "And I know George Weasley. He's no fool, even if he pretends to be sometimes."

"Thanks Hermione," responded Pansy with a small smile. "Anyway, I was worried after you drank some of his drink. I didn't want to leave you there in a room full of randy guys when you were under the influence of that, so I had to admit to George what I'd done. He said he didn't feel any odd effects from the drink at all, so we figured the potion must not have been any good. You didn't have any side effects, did you?"

"No," replied Hermione. "Well, except..."

"Except, what? Were you affected by it?"

Hermione felt a flood of relief. This was proof, it _must_ have been a dream. "I did have this very intense erotic dream, but when I woke up I couldn't put a face with my dream lover. I kept drawing a blank. Maybe if the Potion was expired, the strength was diluted enough that all it did was cause me to have that dream."

Pansy grinned. "Well, if that's all that happened I feel much better. I was worried about you for a bit that night, you were acting very out of character. I'll admit, I felt a lot better about leaving with George when Harry said he'd keep an eye on you. Come on, we'd better get back. Luna's probably wondering where we are."

Pansy turned and went back down the hallway to the restaurant.

Hermione paused for a moment before following Pansy. She didn't remember seeing Harry at all that night, until she woke up next to him the following morning. Could he have been the man in her dream? She tried to imagine Harry in that role and couldn't stop a manic giggle from escaping. No, she just couldn't see Harry and her together in that light, but now at least she had an explanation for the dream. It was just the after effects of too much to drink and an out of date Lust Potion—now she could stop worrying about it.

* * *

Hermione woke up the next day feeling a bit queasy and assumed she might be coming down with something. At least that's what she thought until she got a Floo call from Luna.

"Are you feeling okay today, Hermione?" asked Luna. "I'm just wondering, because Pansy called in sick today, and she said I should check on you. She thinks she might have a touch of food poisoning. She suspects the crab cakes she had yesterday and she said you had them too. I personally suspect the restaurant may have an infestation of mystytwisters. They get in your tummy you know and twirl all around. It can make you feel terribly queasy, but Pans insists it's probably the crab cakes."

"I did wake up feeling kind of off today, Luna. Pansy's probably right, I think the crab cakes are the most likely culprit," Hermione said with a sigh. "I suppose I know where I'll be spending my day."

Feeling worse by the minute, Hermione Floo'd Severus at the lab.

"Severus?" she called, the smoky smell of the Floo making her stomach turn.

"Hermione, why are you Flooing me? You're supposed to be here for work in just a few minutes."

"I'm very sorry, Severus. I know you wanted to start on that dual potion today, but I'm really not feeling well and I'm going to have to take the day off."

He started complaining before she even had a chance to explain why, but in the middle of his tirade Hermione couldn't take the smoky smell any more and dashed off to the bathroom. There was simply no time to close the Floo connection or the bathroom door. Sounds of her gagging and retching must have come through loud and clear.

"Uhh... Hermione? It's probably best if you stay home and get some rest. Let me know how you feel later."

She did just that, and by mid day she was feeling fine. She owled Pansy to see how she was doing and her friend confirmed that she was much better too. Hermione sent a quick note to Severus explaining what had happened and that she would be back to work the next day.

Hermione was annoyed the next morning when she awoke with the same queasiness as the day before, but she put it down to the after-effects of the food poisoning and set off to work anyway.

Although Snape technically worked for the Ministry, he was more of a private contractor and worked from home, using his own personal lab for his research. He'd sold his childhood home for a ridiculous amount to some Muggle developer who had plans to build a huge shopping centre there, and using the proceeds of that sale he'd bought a modest sized home on Aylesbury Vale. It was about halfway between Aylesbury and Winslow in the northern part of Buckinghamshire. It was a bit out of the way so he didn't have to worry too much about interference from Muggles, but just to be on the safe side, he always had Hermione Apparate to work by arriving in the back garden. His state of the art lab was located behind his home in what was formerly a detached garage

As soon as Hermione arrived she knew travel by Apparition had been a huge mistake. Her stomach roiled and she dropped to her knees with a loud moan, clutching one hand across her stomach and the other over her mouth, trying by sheer force of will to hold the sick back.

Severus, who apparently heard her arrival, threw the door open to find her kneeling on the ground. "Granger, what in hell are you doing on the ground? I thought you said you were better. You look positively green."

Hermione shook her head slightly and mumbled, "Relapse, I guess."

"I'm just having breakfast, come inside and have a piece of dry toast and some tea. Maybe that will settle your stomach," he offered as he bent down to help her to her feet.

As soon as she came through the doorway the smell of his morning fry up hit her nose, and sent her over the edge. Hermione gulped and dashed off to the loo.

Poor Severus, hearing the same sounds he'd heard through the Floo connection yesterday, but today up close and personal, must have put him off his breakfast. She could hear him scraping the remains into the bin before he followed her into the toilet. Severus pulled her pony tail back out of the way and secured it with a spell. She heard the sound of the water running in the basin and then a moment later felt a soothing cool flannel pressed against the back of her neck. Just after that he handed her a second one to wipe her face and mouth.

After a minute, when she was quite sure her stomach had calmed down, she sat back and looked up at him, her huge brown eyes slightly teary. "Thank you, Severus. I'm terribly sorry about all this. It's so embarrassing. I honestly felt better this morning, but I guess Apparating set it off again."

"You don't look well at all, and you certainly can't Apparate home when you're feeling like this. I imagine the Floo would be just as bad. Come in and lie on the sofa and rest for awhile. I still think some tea and dry toast might help settle your stomach. I'll fix you some," he suggested, helping her up from her knees for the second time that morning.

Leaning into his side as he wrapped an arm around her waist, Hermione sighed deeply and apologized yet again as he steered her toward the sofa. "I really am sorry, Severus. This certainly can't be how you expected to spend your morning."

"You would be correct in that assumption," he said, as he got her settled on the couch. He even tucked her in with a soft sage green throw before he went to get her tea and toast.

Before long, Hermione heard the kettle whistle and Severus returned, setting a tray on the side table next to her. "Try this and see if it doesn't help," he said. "I shall be in the lab. If and when you feel better, you may join me." He stalked out before she even had a chance to thank him.

Hermione nibbled on the toast and sipped her tea slowly. She dozed for a little bit, and when she woke up again she was feeling much better. Hermione felt well enough to go out and work with Severus for the rest of the day with no problem.

"I feel fine now," Hermione assured Severus as she prepared to leave for the day. "I'm sure there won't be any more problems. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

She would have eaten her words the next morning, if her stomach hadn't been so upset. Once again she owled Severus, promising to come in a little later if she felt better, as had been the pattern for the last two days. She wondered if Pansy was having the same lingering effects from the food poisoning, but when she owled to see how she was feeling, she was surprised to get a note back from Pansy in less than half an hour.

_Hermione, _

_Sorry you're still not feeling well. I heaved my guts half the day on Monday but I've been fine ever since. Maybe you're coming down with a bug... Luna wants to know if you've come in contact with any mystytwisters (whatever the hell those might be!). Hope you're better soon. _

_love,_

_Pansy._

_P.S. I'll stop by and check in on you later, after work. _

Once again, Hermione's nausea passed by mid day and she went to work.

Severus expressed some concern, especially when she told him whatever she had it wasn't the same thing as Pansy because she was all better while Hermione's symptoms seemed to be lingering. " I don't like the sounds of this, Hermione. If this keeps up, you should go to St. Mungo's and get checked out," he advised.

"I'd feel silly going there now, the symptoms are all gone. But I suppose you're right, if it's not better in another day or so I promise I'll consult a healer."

* * *

Pansy showed up that night as promised and brought take away from the Leakey. The two usually shared Indian or Thai but to appease Hermione's touchy tummy, her friend had kindly got Hannah to fix up a container of homemade chicken stew and some thick crusty bread, enough for two. It was delicious, as was Pansy's gossipy chatter about her new romance with George.

"I can't believe how happy being with him makes me feel. I would never in a hundred years have pictured myself with a Gryffindor, much less a Weasley." She shook her head ruefully. "Now I'll have to eat crow for all the mean things I said to Draco when he started dating the Weaslette."

"Hey, trashing Gryffindor is not allowed when you're sitting with one, Parkinson," teased Hermione.

"Oh, you know what I mean. I couldn't care less about all that house bullshit. Be honest though, when you were growing up would you have pictured yourself falling for a Slytherin?" asked Pansy.

"No, probably not then, but now... certainly," Hermione admitted.

Pansy eyed her speculatively. "So my advice to the professor that night didn't do any good? He hasn't made a move?"

Hermione sighed wistfully. "No, not really. The first day back seemed a little awkward but other than that he's acted like that night never happened. He was very kind to me, though, when I showed up sick for work yesterday. That's a bit out of character for him, but it was rather nice."

"It is. It shows he does care about you. He just doesn't know how to express it, I think," said Pansy as she cleared up the take away containers and gathered her jacket. "I am a bit worried about you myself, love. I don't like the way this sickness seems to be lingering on. You should get yourself checked out if you don't feel better soon."

"Yes, Mummy. Now you sound like Severus, he said the exact same thing. If it doesn't go away in a day or two more, I promise to make an appointment with a healer," said Hermione as Pansy headed for the door.

"Make sure that you do." Pansy stepped out of the door, then popped her head back in. "You know if it were anyone else, I'd be asking you if you were preggers right about now," she said with a laugh, then waved as she closed the door. No one was there to see Hermione's face go pale as she swayed and grabbed the wall to keep from falling. In an instant she was dashing into the loo to throw up all the lovely chicken stew.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

AN:

I would like to offer my unending gratitude to my lovely alpha-reader/cheerleader: Morethansirius, beta-reader extraordinaire: Delphipsmith, and brit-picker/cheerleader/back-up beta: Talesofsnape. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dears! I can't say it enough, you three are totally awesome.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

* * *

Once Hermione had finished vomiting up all of her supper she somehow managed to crawl back to the couch where she simply sat in shock for at least an hour, her mind racing from one scenario to another. That night, it must have been a dream—wildly erotic and unbelievably real yes, but still just a dream... hadn't it? Well no, obviously not, people didn't get pregnant from dreams. It wasn't possible, was it? Pregnant? She started counting the weeks and realized that it was entirely possible. Her periods had never been extremely regular and with all the stress at work she just hadn't been paying attention. Still, she hadn't had sex with anyone for months before that morning when she had awakened next to Harry. To be honest, it had been more than a year, and closer to two if she were actually counting—which of course she wasn't. So, the logical conclusion now, if she really was pregnant, was that it hadn't been a dream after all. She and her best friend, Harry Potter, had made drunken, wild, crazy, hot monkey-sex and now there was a bun in her oven.

Hermione moaned. "Oh my gods! This can't be happening to me." She scrubbed her hands over her face, not knowing whether to cry or scream or laugh hysterically. "Pull yourself together, Granger. You don't know anything for sure yet, do you?" she muttered. "Well, that's the first step then, isn't it, you silly bint? You have to find out if it's true." As she spoke the words out loud to herself she knew for sure she was losing it. She was not only talking to herself, she was answering too.

She was sure there must be a charm to determine a positive or negative result for pregnancy, but she had no idea what might be. There was no one she felt comfortable calling to ask such a delicate question. She tried to imagine Floo calling Luna, or Pansy or gods forbid Molly Weasley or even worse Ginny. She could see it now—'Hey, Gin, I was just wondering if you could tell me how to cast the pregnancy charm. Why? Oh, no reason. I just might have accidentally slept with your ex-boyfriend, who's like my own brother, and we went at it like nifflers in heat, and now I might be pregnant. However, I'm not completely sure that it really happened, because even though it was absolutely the best sex of my whole life, I can't remember who he was for sure. Still, I guess it must have been Harry since he was in the bed next to me in the morning."

"Aaaaaghhh!" cried Hermione, jumping to her feet. She paced her flat from one end to the other for nearly two hours, mumbling to herself, before she decided she simply couldn't wait any longer. She had to know and she had to know tonight. She grabbed her coat and, unsure if she could tolerate Apparating, trudged ten blocks to the nearest all-night Tesco's to buy a Muggle home pregnancy test kit. In fact she bought two—double ones—just to make sure.

And all fucking four of them turned up positive. Just fucking fantastic!

* * *

Hermione worried all night, getting hardly any sleep. She was up at dawn and sent off her owl to Severus with a cryptic note that just said:

_Sorry, I won't be in today, and probably not tomorrow either. _

_H._

By nine a.m. she'd come to at least one major decision. She suspected she knew what the reaction would when it became known that the female third of the golden trio was alone, unmarried and pregnant. It wasn't going to be pretty, considering the entire wizarding world seemed to be stuck somewhere back in the nineteenth century. She didn't care though, she was going to have this baby and she was going to keep it, no matter what the rest of wizarding world thought. She hadn't come to this resolution lightly. In fact, at first she had given serious thought to terminating the pregnancy, but when she considered everything else, it didn't take her long to decide she couldn't go that route. The odds were, considering the baby's parentage, it would be very strong magically. For all that he was a typical clueless male and a total idiot at times, no one could ever say that Harry Potter wasn't an extremely powerful wizard.

While she certainly hadn't planned to have a child at this stage in her life, deep down she had always expected that she'd have one someday. Who was to say? She might never find Mr. Right and she had to face facts, it wasn't as though wizards were beating down her door to date her, especially not the one she wanted most. So in all honesty this might be her one and only chance at motherhood.

Her decision made, Hermione was suddenly exhausted. She crawled back into bed and slept soundly until after noon. When she woke up she found herself ravenously hungry. Probably not surprising, as she had thrown up her dinner the night before and hadn't eaten anything when she got up at dawn. After foraging through her fridge, she warmed up a cheesy pasta casserole she'd made a couple of days earlier, and ate it along with a banana nut muffin and four dill pickles. As she was wiping up the cheese sauce on her plate with her last pickle spear she wondered if this counted as strange cravings or just being bloody hungry.

The next step, aside from starting to research all about pregnancy, was to inform Harry. He would obviously find out she was pregnant sooner or later. Since he hadn't brought up the events of that night, she assumed that, like her, he'd either been so drunk he didn't remember or so embarrassed he was pretending it hadn't happened. Either way, he would have to hear the truth now.

She sent an owl to Harry at work. When he didn't respond within an hour she sent another and then another an hour after that. It wasn't much later that her Floo flared to life and Draco's face appeared. "Granger, what the hell's up with all these bloody notes?" he asked gruffly, sounding irritated.

"I need to talk to Harry, Malfoy. Why didn't he Floo call me himself?"

"Because he's out of town, following up a lead on a case." Draco must have noticed the frantic look on her face because suddenly he sounded concerned when he asked, "Is this an emergency? Because I can get him back here right away if you need me to."

Hermione hesitated. "I... yes... well, no... I guess not." She wanted to talk to Harry right away, but it really wasn't a matter of life or death. It wouldn't matter if she talked to him tonight or in a couple of days, aside from the fact that she might drive herself insane with worry by then.

Draco frowned, then asked impatiently, "Well, what is it? Yes or no?"

"No, it's not an emergency. It's important, but it can wait. When do you expect he'll be back? Do you have any idea?"

"It could be tonight, but more likely tomorrow sometime." Draco paused, then said softly, "Hermione, I can contact him if you need me to."

Hermione shook her head. "No, but if you could leave him a message to come see me as soon as he gets back, I'd appreciate it. I'm sorry for being a bother with all the notes earlier, I had no idea Harry was out of town. Will you please let me know if you find out he's going to be away longer than tomorrow?"

"Of course," Draco promised. She must have looked or sounded desperate, because he repeated again that he would get a hold of Harry if she needed him. She declined and thanked him again as she closed the Floo connection.

Damn! Now what was she to do while she waited to talk to Harry? She remembered her earlier plans for researching information about pregnancy. Her best bet was to check out her favorite Muggle book shop. It wouldn't do to be seen by someone she knew in Flourish and Blotts buying a stack of books about having babies.

She managed her mission that afternoon without running into anyone she knew and returned with no less than half a dozen books about pregnancy, childbirth and babies. That would keep her busy for at least a day or two.

* * *

Harry didn't show up that day and, just as she'd suspected, Hermione nearly drove herself mad imagining how he would react when she told him. Would he be shocked? Angry? Would he remember any more than she did about how they had ended up in bed together?

Hermione rehearsed in her head, over and over, exactly what she was going to say to him when she saw him. She worried until she fell asleep and woke up worrying again the next morning. She'd had the foresight to set out a packet of cream crackers the night before, because she'd read that nibbling on them right away when she first woke up might help with the nausea. Her stomach still felt a little uneasy but she was able to at least get up and about without heaving her guts out, so that was a plus. Since the last few days had proven she would feel much better as the day wore on, she decided to just make do with tea and toast as Severus had suggested, and it seemed to help.

It was late morning when she heard a tapping at the window and recognized Sherlock, the owl from the Aurory that Harry routinely used. The note said that he had some reports to wrap up but he'd be over to see her as soon as he could get away. Before long, her Floo flared to life and Harry was propelled into the room as if he'd been shoved from the other side, which it turned out he had.

"Hermione, what in hell is going on? Whatever you said when you talked to Malfoy yesterday has him so freaked out, he barely let me finish my reports before he was shoving me through the Floo. He seems to think something is very wrong here."

Hermione took one look at Harry and all the well-rehearsed explanations flew right out of her head. All she could think was this was Harry—her Harry—and now that he was here, everything would somehow be okay. Her eyes welled up and her bottom lip quivered. "Oh, H... Har... Harry!" she wailed as she burst into tears and threw herself into his arms.

* * *

"Hermione?" Harry was shocked. He held her close and gently rubbed a hand up and down her back in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Hermione Granger hated for anyone to see her cry, even her best friend. For her to act this way was scary. More than scary, it was _terrifying_.

Whatever was wrong, it was huge, that was obvious, because right now she was a crying, blubbering mess, soaking his shirt with tears and snot. Oh well, what was a little snot between friends? Hermione had stood by him through thick and thin and whatever was wrong now he would do the same for her.

Half leading, half dragging her over to the sofa, he guided her down and continued to hold her. "Shhhh... love, it's okay. Whatever it is, it'll be okay. We'll get through it together, just like we always have. I promise."

Hermione kept crying for several minutes and Harry just held her, patting her back and cooing nonsense words and soothing her until she finally started to calm. He summoned a box of tissues from across the room and pulled out several. He carefully dabbed at her cheeks then held one up to her nose as if she were a little girl. "Blow," he ordered. She did, loudly. He shoved a couple more into her hand then set her away from him on the couch. "Now, tell me what this is all about, love."

She looked up at him, her expression miserable. He thought she might start in again, but instead she tried to speak. Her breath hitched several times before she finally managed to choke out the words. "Oh, Har... Harry. I... I'm... preg... pregnant!" she exclaimed. She kept dabbing at her cheeks as tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and her body shuddered trying to hold back the sobs. Whatever he had expected, it certainly wasn't this.

"Pregnant? I... I don't know what to say, sweetie. I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."

"I wasn't. I'm not," she replied.

"I don't understand... then who?" asked Harry. Suddenly a horrifying thought occurred to him. "Hermione, did someone hurt you? Were you forced?" He was going to kill them. If that was the case, there was no question in his mind, some bastard was going to die. If he had to track him down to the ends of the earth, he'd make sure he died a long, slow, painful death if it was the last thing he ever did before they sent him off to Azkaban.

"Harry no! It wasn't like that at all. It happened on Draco's stag night. Pansy, Luna, Millie and I had gone out to celebrate Pansy's promotion and we ended up at the same club as Draco's party. I had quite a lot to drink, and... and... I don't remember most of it... but... but..."

"Hermione, are you saying you were drunk and someone took advantage, that's just as bad. Do you know who it was?"

"I don't remember clearly, but I'm fairly sure that... that is..." She gulped, then forged ahead, "It was you, Harry. You're the father of my baby."

Harry was totally gobsmacked. He felt like someone had hit him in the head with a beater's bat and he must have looked like it too as he stared at Hermione dumbly. He shook his head and took her hand gently. "Hermione, I think maybe you've been Confundused or something. What you're suggesting isn't possible."

Hermione sighed. "Harry I know it's hard to believe. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the idea too—the thought of us sleeping together is just so wrong. You're my best friend, for goodness sake. But the last thing I remember that night was around ten or ten-thirty when I was dancing with Severus. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in one of the upstairs rooms the next morning with this vivid memory of wild, crazy sex—but I had no clue with who. At first, I figured it was just a dream, until I rolled over and there you were there in the bed with me. We were practically naked, Harry. As strange as it seems, it _had_ to be you. I haven't slept with anyone else in over a year."

Harry sat in silence for several minutes, considering everything his friend had said and trying to remember the details from that night. It had been true that by the end of the night he'd been very drunk. For one brief crazy instant he considered letting her believe that it was the truth, considered claiming Hermione's child as his own and helping her raise it. But he knew that wouldn't be fair to her or the child, no matter how much he might wish it were true.

"Hermione," Harry said as he took her hand again, his voice very soft. "Even if we had slept together, and somehow neither one of us remembered it—even if that had happened—love, there's no way I could be the father. I almost wish I was, but I'm... I'm not capable of fathering a child, Hermione. I'm sterile."

Hermione looked at Harry in wide-eyed shock. "What?"

"It's true. I found out when I had to get a physical to become an Auror. I never told anyone, ever. The Healer didn't know for sure why, but he theorized that it was due to me having survived the Killing Curse. That's the real reason why I broke up with Ginny years ago. I couldn't do that to her, knowing how much she wanted a family some day."

Hermione gaped at Harry in disbelief, having difficulty processing this news. "Oh, Harry, you idiot. How could you? You never told her? Ginny loved you, she had a right to make that decision for herself. I think she still would have chosen you."

Harry stood and paced in front of the fireplace. "Don't you think I know that? That's exactly why I couldn't tell her! She would have chosen me no matter what and eventually she would have come to hate me for that decision. I couldn't stand that, so I ended it. It's better this way, it really is. She and Draco make a good pair. He can give her everything she needs, everything she deserves."

He stopped before Hermione and this time she reached out for his hand and pulled him down next to her. He draped his arm across her shoulders and they both sank back into the couch, her head resting against him. She sighed. "My friend, Harry Potter, ever the martyr. You deserve to be happy too, Harry. Hasn't that thought ever occurred to you?" Hermione leaned her head back to look up into Harry's face. At the look on his face, a thought occurred to her. "Oh, sweet goddess, you're still in love with her, aren't you? That's why at Draco's stag night you got drunk enough to pass out in a bed with me and not even notice, isn't it?"

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You can't tell Ginny or Draco about this, Hermione. Please, promise me that."

"Harry, I'd never betray your secrets. I never have, and I never will. You should know that." Hermione dropped a hand to her stomach. "This changes everything though, doesn't it? I decided to keep this baby because I thought it was ours, but... now... I have absolutely no idea who the father might be. My memory is a total blank."

Harry pressed his hand over Hermione's. "You know, for a brief instant when you told me I was the father, I considered not telling you... pretending that it was true and helping you raise the baby, claiming it as my own. I couldn't lie to you that way, Hermione, you deserve the truth. But we could still do that. We wouldn't have to get married, unless you want to, but I could be a father to your child."

Hermione choked up at Harry's offer. She reached out and touched his cheek gently, "Oh Harry, you sweet, wonderful man. You are the best friend a girl could ever have. But as much as I love you, you're like a brother to me. If I ever do get married I want it to be for real, and as far as having the baby, I may have to reconsider the whole idea now. What if it turns out the father is someone awful?"

"It's an innocent baby, and with you as it's mum that would cancel out any awfulness, no matter how bad the father was. Besides, it must have been one of the guests from Draco's stag night, so how awful could he really be?"

Hermione began ticking off options,. "Greg Goyle, Professor Slughorn, Stan Shunpike, Mr. Filch..."

"Just so you know, if it eases your mind, I've hung out together with Greg and Draco a few times. He's not all that bad. A little dense, maybe, but he's a decent guy." At Hermione's heated look, Harry hurried on. "Besides, why would you be with any of those choices? You have better taste than that!"

"That's just the point, Harry. None of this is like me at all, it's totally out of character. To get so drunk I can't even remember who I had mind-blowing, unprotected sex with? That isn't me."

"Mind-blowing?" Harry paused to look at Hermione quizzically. "Seriously?"

Hermione nodded glumly. "Believe it. Best ever. When I woke up and couldn't put a face with the act, I assumed it was just a vivid dream. Then I rolled over and saw you. I kind of freaked out, after that I left as quick as I could." She fisted her hands in her hair, pulling in frustration. "I have to know who it is, Harry. That's all there is to it. It makes no difference, I'm keeping the baby no matter what, but I need to know who it was. You investigate people every day, you know where to start. Will you help me, Harry? Please?"

Harry grinned from ear to ear. "Now all of a sudden, you're keeping the baby no matter what? That was a quick turn around from a minute ago. What happened to reconsidering the whole idea?"

Hermione laid her hand protectively on her abdomen. "I just realized that I've already started to think of it as a baby, my baby. In the beginning it was different. I was more detached about the whole thing, but now it's just too real. Plus, this might be my only chance to be a mum. So no matter who the biological father is, I'm going to keep this baby and raise it and love it. I still want to know who he is, though. Will you help me?"

"You know I will," replied Harry. "I've got an idea. I'll borrow the Pensieve from the Department and we'll both review our memories of that night. Maybe I saw something before I ended up in that room upstairs. Or maybe your memories will show us something that will be a clue."

Hermione looked at Harry uncomfortably. "That sounds like a good idea, except..." She blushed. "I'm not so sure I could share that dream with you, Harry. It would be too embarrassing."

"Hey, up until a few minutes ago, you thought I was _starring_ in that dream," he teased. Then, seeing how upset Hermione was, "Don't worry about it, okay? We'll figure it out. If you can't show me the dream, you can't." Hermione nodded agreement. "All right then, in the meantime let's start with one of your favorite activities," declared Harry. "Making lists."

"Lists of what?" asked Hermione. She stood up and gathered her notebooks and pens, which she preferred to parchment and quills any day.

"We'll start with a list of who we both saw that night. You said you remember up until about ten, so start at the beginning of the night and list everyone you remember seeing there. Make a note next to the name whether you actually interacted with that person or only saw them there. That might help us know who to focus on when we review the memories in the Pensieve."

* * *

By Saturday morning, Severus was pacing from one end of his lab to the other. He'd heard nothing from his research assistant gone astray since the cryptic note that had arrived two days ago on Thursday morning.

_Sorry, I won't be in today, and probably not tomorrow either. _

_H._

That was all, and not a word since. No updates. No words of reassurance. No notice of being admitted to St. Mungo's. Nothing.

"One would think she could take the time to at least jot a note or stick her head in the bloody Floo to let me know she's alright," he muttered to himself. The more he dwelt on the situation with Granger, the more uneasy he became. It really wasn't like her at all to be so ill-mannered.

What if there was something seriously wrong with the witch? She might have sent off the missive to him on Thursday and then become worse. Perhaps she was in St. Mungo's even now. There was no reason any of her little band of friends would bother to notify him, her colleague and co-worker. Even worse, what if she had simply collapsed at home and was even now lying there unconscious?

Severus paused to read the note's one line again, for what seemed like the hundredth time, before coming to a decision. He would go by her flat and see if she was there. If she was, fine. He would be sure to let her know how rude he found her lack of communication. If she was not there, he would investigate further at that point.

Severus Apparated to Hermione's flat and, after making sure that the hallway was clear and no nosy neighbors were hanging about, he knocked at the door. When there was no answer he knocked again. He was debating whether to knock yet again or just leave when the door was jerked open by a disheveled Hermione, wearing a pair of old ratty sweatpants with holes in both knees and a Weird Sisters Tee shirt that had seen better days. Her ridiculous hair was going every which way.

"Severus?" she gasped, obviously surprised to see him as she self-consciously tried to smooth down her hair. "What's going on? Why are you here? Is everything all right?"

He stared at her for a moment before pulling her cryptic note from his pocket. "I don't know, you tell me."

Hermione looked puzzled at first but took the note from his hand. She looked up at him, then out into the hall, before pulling him into her flat. "I'm so sorry for not getting back to you. You were... that is... were you worried about me?"

"If I were, it appears there was no need. You are obviously fine. I shall be on my way," he responded curtly.

"No, Severus. Wait, don't go, please," she cried, grabbing his arm as he turned to leave. "That's so sweet. I do apologize for not letting you know, but the truth is I'm not... not fine. Not really. It's all been such a shock... I don't know where to begin or how to explain. I don't understand it all myself, so how can I explain..." Hermione paused in her rambling, then rushed on. "People are going to ask me, though, aren't they? I have to expect that. So I'll have to tell them something. Or maybe I won't. Maybe I'll just tell them to mind their own business... bunch of nosy busy-bodies. Oh not you, I didn't mean you, of course. You're my friend, so I don't mind..."

Severus reached out and placed two finger tips over her lips. "Stop. You are babbling and I have absolutely no idea what you are going on about." He slipped the fingers down from her lips to hook under her chin and raised her head until her eyes met his. To his horror a fat tear rolled down her cheek, then another and another as her face crumpled. He had no finesse at dealing with crying women, they terrified him. "Don't do that... Stop... I demand that you stop this instant. Why are you crying?"

"I don't cry," she declared.

"Of course not," he agreed, humoring her. She had clearly gone mad.

"I mean it, you can ask anyone. I never cry. Never, never, never. Well, hardly ever, but now I can't seem to stop. It seems like it's all I've done for the past few days. Oh, Severus, what am I going to do?" she sighed, leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around his waist.

Severus was taken aback at first, unsure how to react. The best thing to do, he decided, was enfold her in his arms. "Let's sit. Tell me what's wrong," he murmured as he steered her towards the couch. This whole scene was disturbing to him, whatever had been causing her illness must be something serious.

As they sat down on the couch, he tried to ease away, but Hermione's arms remained firmly attached, her face buried against his chest. He realized that she was crying silently, her tears soaking his shirt. "Tell me what the Healers said."

She pulled back and looked up at him with huge wet pitiful eyes. "Healers?" she asked wiping her eyes, first with the back of her hands, then pulling up the hem of her tee shirt to dry her face.

He handed her a hanky. "Yes, the Healers. What did they say about your illness?"

"Oh, I didn't see any Healers. I know what's wrong with me."

"Hermione, it is unwise to self diagnose. You could be totally off base. All of this anguish could be unnecessary. We need to get a definitive diagnosis, then we will set to work finding a cure."

She made a little noise that could have been a half-laugh or a sob, he couldn't be sure which.

"There's nothing you can brew, that's going to make my problem go away, Severus." She paused then added, "Well, actually there is. Something that would end it all permanently. I seriously considered that option in the beginning, but I've since decided that I just can't go that route."

Severus felt his skin crawl. Dear Merlin, was she talking about assisted suicide? Whatever was wrong with her, she obviously believed it to be terminal. "Hermione, you simply can't make this kind of decision without first seeking a Healer's advice. Even then we will not give up, we will research until we find an answer." He stood and took her hand. "Now, come, we will go to St. Mungo's immediately and demand the best Healer they have to offer."

Hermione rolled her eyes, her crying fit apparently at an end, and pulled him back down to sit next to her. "I don't need to see a Healer to know what is making me ill, Severus." She fumbled around, pulled a small stick-like object out of her pocket and handed it to him. "See?"

He turned it over several times, puzzling over what the device might be. He noticed two small 'windows' in the side, one with a vertical line and the other with a plus sign. As he turned it again he realized there was a cap on one end. He was just pulling it off to investigate further when Hermione stopped him.

"Severus, don't touch that part, leave the cap on it. That's the part I peed on."

He nearly dropped the thing then thrust it back at her and Scourgified his hands. "Why in the name of Merlin would you give me something you had urinated on?" he demanded.

Hermione bit her lip, obviously trying to keep from smiling. "I'm sorry, I assumed you would know what it was, but I guess you left the Muggle world behind before they came into common use. This is a Muggle home medical test, Severus. That little plus sign indicates a positive result."

He eyed it speculatively. "What precisely is the test for?"

Before Hermione could reply, the front door flew open and Harry came in lugging a rather large Pensieve with him. "Hey, Hermione, sorry for bursting in. I got the Pensieve from work, but I didn't want to take a chance of getting it dinged up coming in through the Floo." He paused when he noticed Severus, then continued, "Oh, Snape's here, good . He can help too since he was there that night. He might remember something that both of us missed. Errr... I assume you told him?"

Hermione nodded weakly, then glanced at Severus. "Yes. Well sort of..."

"Good, so he knows you're preggers. We can use all the help we can get trying to figure out who in the heck the daddy of this baby is."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Strange Bedfellows

Chapter 3

Severus turned to stare at Hermione in disbelief. "You're pregnant? And you don't even know who the child's father is?" he asked in disbelief, his tone accusing. "How is that possible?"

"I thought he knew," Harry said in surprise. "You just said he knew."

"We were just getting to that part," explained Hermione. Then, turning to Severus, Hermione declared, "Severus, it's not what you think."

"You have no idea what I might think," he snapped, his voice taking on a cold, cruel edge.

She jumped to her feet, her hands planted on her hips, and stared back at him equally coldly. "I'm sure you're thinking that I'm nothing but a slut! That's what everyone's going to think anyway, aren't they? That I'm some kind of slag," she cried. "Well I don't give a damn what anyone thinks. They can all just go get fucked!"

"As you obviously did, and indiscriminately so, at that," Severus sneered. "Do you have any idea whatsoever? Or is the list so long, you can't remember them all? I suppose the answer to that question will determine as to whether or not you have _officially_ reached slut status." He had no idea why he was saying these things. Even as the words left his mouth, he knew it was a horrible mistake, but he just couldn't stop himself.

They had worked together for months, for Merlin's sake! He respected her, was fond of her even. Fuck, more than just fond! He knew as soon as he said the words that they would cut her, wound her. She was obviously upset, yet he just couldn't hold them back. He was such a prick at times. Why couldn't he keep his fucking temper and mouth under control? They had both lost him much more than he could ever begin to tally.

He expected her to attack, was prepared to defend himself, but determined at the same time not to harm her. The outraged shrieks, the hexes and curses that he expected never came. Instead she seemed to fold in upon herself and merely whimpered. She whimpered! It was like a dagger to his heart. It was a hundred times worse than if she'd cursed him. A thousand times worse! It made him feel like the biggest kind of arse in all of wizard-kind, as if he'd just crushed a soft cuddly pigmy puff under the heel of his dragon-hide boots in front of a crowd of innocent firsties.

"Hermione... I..." Too late, he reached out to her, but Potter stepped between them. If looks could kill, Severus would have been vaporized on the spot.

Harry wrapped his arms around Hermione, as if sheltering her from Snape's poisonous barbs. "Shhh... baby, it's okay. We'll get it all sorted out."

She leaned into him for a moment, seeming to draw strength from him, then pulled back, gathering her dignity around her like a cloak. "I'm all right, Harry," she said, so softly Severus could barely hear her. "I'm going to have to get used to this kind of thing, I suppose."

Harry glared at Snape, but turned back to Hermione and spoke quietly. "I want to talk to Snape for a minute. Why don't you go gather up the lists we made last night, and maybe fix some tea? We're going to be busy for a while and I, for one, could use some." Hermione nodded and headed for the kitchen, looking dejected.

Harry rounded on Severus and spoke in hushed tones so that Hermione wouldn't hear, but his voice was hard and grim. "What in hell is wrong with you, Snape? She thinks of you as her friend, or at least she did, but you certainly aren't acting like one. She's vulnerable right now, the last thing she needs is someone she cares for—someone she trusts—tearing her to shreds. You have no idea what the situation here is. Hermione hasn't been with anyone in ages before this, she doesn't sleep around, and she's nowhere close to being a slut. But even if she were, that's her own business and she doesn't deserve to be treated like dirt. For you to talk to her like that is..."

"Unforgivable," finished Severus grimly. "It was unforgivable. I should probably just go."

Harry shook his head and rubbed his hand through his already messy hair as he replied with a sigh. "No, Snape... Severus... it was not unforgivable. Very little is, as far as Hermione Granger is concerned, she has a very forgiving nature. What I was going to say is that it was wrong and cruel. I don't understand why you would lash out at her like that, but if you can't control yourself, then yes, maybe you should leave. She doesn't need that kind of treatment right now."

Severus opened his mouth as if to speak, but Harry was on a roll and continued on with his tirade.

"However, if you really are her friend, then you'll man up and go in there and apologize to her—and mean it—and stay and help us sort this out. Something happened, we're not sure what, but she only has vague memories of the night the baby was conceived. She thought it was all a dream and discounted it until she realized that she was pregnant, just a few days ago. She can't remember who it was she was with. She's already decided to keep the baby, but for her own peace of mind she still wants to know who the father is, so I'm going to help her try to figure it out."

Severus swallowed hard. He never thought he'd live to see the day that Harry Potter turned out to be the voice of reason, but everything he'd said was true. "You are quite right, Potter... er... Harry, I did... I do consider Hermione a friend, and I was a... a..."

"A complete and utter jackass?"

"Yes," agreed Severus, "I was that and more. Lord knows I never thought I'd find myself taking advice from Harry Potter, but you are absolutely right. I will offer her my sincere apology. I can only hope she will forgive me. Then we will do our best to get to the bottom of this."

* * *

Hermione stood next to the counter staring idly into space as she waited for the electric kettle to heat. She could have done it with magic, but following the common routines of her childhood, such as making tea the same way her mother had taught her, was soothing. Plus, to her way of thinking it really did taste better when done naturally.

"Hermione?" Severus spoke quietly from the doorway.

She started at his voice and turned to look at him. "Severus," she responded woodenly. "I expected you would have left by now."

"I will go, if that's what you want, but not before I apologize," he said, taking a few steps closer to her.

Hermione looked up, surprise on her face. "Excuse me—did I hear you right? Has the world come to and end? Did Severus Snape just offer me an apology?"

He lowered his head. "Hermione—"

She sighed. "What you said in there... your reaction... it hurt me, Severus, more deeply than I would have thought possible. I suppose I'll have to grow a thicker skin as I'll probably be hearing a lot of that sort of thing in the next few months; the wizarding world is so Victorian in its mind set. I didn't expect it of you, though." Hermione raised her eyes to meet his, her expression wary. He hated knowing that he had put that look in her eyes.

He stepped a bit closer and tentatively reached for her, touching her hand, relieved that she didn't pull away from him. "Please believe, I am very sorry for what I said. Please accept my apology. I was a total bastard and I have no logical excuse, except that I reacted badly to Potter blurting out your condition. I thought we were dealing with some sort of illness, then suddenly hearing that you were pregnant, it was shocking to me. If I am totally honest, I was angry and..." he trailed off

Hermione's brow furrowed in puzzlement. "You were angry? And... and what, Severus? Why would you be angry?"

"I was jealous," he blurted out, surprised by his own admission. "Miss Parkinson advised me to 'make my move' before I lost any chance at all, but I didn't. Or rather, I hadn't yet. Hearing that you were pregnant, it suddenly felt as if it were too late, that I'd lost you to another before I had even tried to have you for myself." Severus sank into one of the kitchen chairs and rubbed at the crease between his brows. "That is still no excuse for treating you so shabbily. I am sincerely sorry for hurting you."

Hermione sat in the chair next to his and tilted her head to look into his face. "It's not like that at all, you know. It's not as if the father of this baby and I are a couple, I don't even know who he is. That's what's making this all so difficult." She laid a hand gently on his knee. "So am I interpreting this correctly? You might actually care for me... a little bit?"

He flushed, and nodded dumbly. "More than a little bit," he mumbled.

"Oh, Severus... what a pair we are. I care for you too. More than a little." She sighed and sat back in her chair. "If only we'd managed to blunder our way through all this before, but I suppose the baby changes everything now."

He looked up at her sharply. "Changes things how?"

"Well, I assume you wouldn't want to start something with me when I'm having some other man's baby, I couldn't expect that of you. But I'm keeping the baby, I've already made up my mind on that. Maybe in the beginning I could have gone a different route, but not now."

"Never assume, Miss Granger. Always require proof. Did you learn nothing in my class?" he said with a smile. "Nothing is changed, as far as I am concerned. But we can sort through all that later. Potter said something about you not remembering that night? How could that have happened? Was it a memory spell?"

"I don't know. That's what we're trying to figure out. Possibly too much to drink, but I've never drunk so much that I had memory lapses. We thought if we reviewed our memories in the Pensieve, perhaps we'd be able to figure it out. The truth is I don't remember anything clearly from the time I danced with you until I woke up next to Harry the next morning."

"We didn't... wait, did you just say Harry? As in Potter? You woke up in bed with Potter?" He felt a great surge of... dear Merlin, is this what jealously felt like? He'd forgotten the feeling after all these years, the ache it put in your chest. He wanted to scrub the image of her with Potter from his brain and maybe scrub Potter from the face of the earth as well.

"Stop, Severus. I know what you're thinking, but nothing happened between us and he's not the father. We know that for sure, but I can't tell you why, that's for Harry to say. I was pretty freaked out at the thought that I'd basically had sex with my brother, though, so I was relieved to find out that wasn't the case." She turned and gathered together her lists, and the tea things. "Come, Severus. If you're willing to stay and help, let's go in and we'll tell you everything we know so far."

* * *

Hermione and Harry spent the better part of an hour filling Severus in on the facts. Harry even explained why it was not possible for him to be the baby's father. Hermione was surprised by Harry's willing revelation, but pleased as well, because it spoke of how much trust he placed in Severus. Hermione admitted that she'd had way too much to drink that night, including George's drink which had been laced with a Lust Potion.

Severus was incensed.

"I will be having words with Miss Parkinson regarding this escapade. I thought the girl had better sense than to pull a stunt like that," he promised grimly

"Pansy meant no harm" protested Hermione. "She never meant for me to drink it and while it was wrong of her to use it on George, I do understand. She's much more insecure than most people would guess; she just wanted George to want her as much as she wanted him. When it came right down to it, she admitted to George what she'd done and he assured her that he'd felt no effects from the potion. It must have been expired or not made properly to begin with, I suppose."

Severus shook his head."Hermione, think about what you just said." At her puzzled look he continued, "Consider this possibility, if you will. Mr. Weasley may have already been in 'lust' with Miss Parkinson beforehand, thus he would essentially feel little to no difference after ingesting the potion. It would depend on the composition of the potion, whether it was designed to create a false sense of attraction or merely enhance an underlying attraction that was already present. In any case, it could have affected you quite differently from how it affected George Weasley. We will need to find out from Parkinson where she got it and what type it was."

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she considered what Severus had said. "So, it's possible that the Potion may have done more than just causing dreams. Dear Goddess!" she exclaimed, her palm moving protectively to cover her still flat tummy. "Could it harm the baby?"

"Highly unlikely," Severus assured her. "When a witch becomes pregnant, her magic forms a shield which protects the fetus from things like potions and the like. You should have nothing to worry about on that account, from the potion or from the alcohol you consumed that night."

"Oh, that's good to know," replied Hermione in relief. "All the books I bought were Muggle, so I had no idea there was any difference with magical pregnancies."

"I think we need to get started reviewing our memories," suggested Harry. "I kind of unofficially borrowed the Pensieve, but I'll have to get it back to the office by Monday morning. I'm hoping no one will need it over the weekend."

Severus sniffed. "I see some things never change, do they? Still sneaking around and breaking the rules, Potter?"

"Severus..." said Hermione. "Harry's only trying to help me."

"Oh, very well," he responded. "I do have an idea, if you would allow me. Perhaps by using Legilimency I might be able find some pertinent information, or at least narrow down our search."

"That's a great idea, Hermione," said Harry. "If he could find something, it would save us a lot of time reviewing memories that aren't relevant."

She crossed her arms protectively in front of herself and took a step back. "I don't know if I like the idea of Severus mucking about it my mind," she complained. "Some things are very personal."

"You don't have to examine the dream, if that's what's worrying you," Harry said. "Even if he could just get an inkling of who might have approached you that night, it would give us some ideas who to focus on in our Pensieve search."

Of course," agreed Severus. "I will avoid that portion if you wish, and concentrate on the events from earlier in the evening."

"Well, alright, I suppose. What do I have to do?" she asked nervously.

"You just sit here on the sofa and relax," instructed Severus, pulling an ottoman up so that he could sit directly in front of her.

Harry snorted. "When you used Legilimency on me you never let me relax, you just jumped right in."

"That is because I was trying to teach you to defend your mind against invasion, you twit. This is not an attack; I don't want Hermione to fight me, I want her to be relaxed and to let me into her thoughts willingly. Since it is done with her cooperation it will not be traumatic for her." Harry grinned at Severus and gave Hermione a wink. "But of course you knew that already and were just trying to get on my very last nerve," Severus muttered.

"Is it working?"Harry asked cheekily.

Ignoring him, Severus turned back to Hermione. He leaned forward and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Now, calm your mind and think of that evening. You don't have to draw any particular event to mind, just focus on that night in general. Ready?" Hermione nodded. Still holding her hand in his other hand, Severus pointed his wand at her and whispered, "_Legilimens_."

Harry sat fidgeting nervously. It seemed to take hours although in reality it probably wasn't more than five or six minutes before Severus pulled away and Hermione slumped back on the sofa still clutching his hand.

Severus leaned forward and brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Are you alright?"

Hermione took a shaky breath and nodded.

Harry grabbed the candy dish off a nearby table and offered it to them. "Here, have some chocolate. You both look like you could use a bite." Harry waited impatiently as they complied. Finally unable to contain his curiosity he asked, "Well? What do you think? Was she Obliviated? Did you see anyone suspicious?"

Severus shook his head. "I don't believe there's any spellwork involved. Obliviates and other memory spells typically leave behind traces. Such memories would have a distinct haziness to them. Hermione's memories of the night are fairly clear in spite of the alcohol she consumed. As far as anyone suspicious..." He hesitated.

"What?" asked Harry and Hermione at the same time.

"I did notice two things I found a bit odd. First, Lucius seemed to be showing you quite a bit of attention and he danced with you several times. I didn't like that at all," he admitted reluctantly.

Hermione blinked at that statement as Harry smirked, then asked, "What part didn't you like? That another man was showing her attention, or that he danced with her more than once?"

In an attempt to cut off Harry's teasing, Hermione asked, "What else did you notice?"

Severus frowned and shook his head slightly. "It appears as if you have a false memory implanted at the end of the night. But that is inconsistent with my own assessment that no memory spells were used. Why would someone plant a false memory?"

"What do you mean a 'false memory'?" asked Harry. "What did you see?"

"She remembers me dancing with her, and that did not happen."

Hermione frowned as she stared at Severus. "What are you talking about? That's not a false memory at all, Severus. You did dance with me."

"No, you asked me to dance and I very clearly told you that I do not dance."

"Yes, that part is true," agreed Hermione, "and that's when Lucius asked me to. He insisted on dancing with me a couple times, in fact. I also danced with Draco, and Charlie and then with Lucius again. After that, he brought me back to the table and that's when I drank part of George's drink. I was parched from all that dancing, and I just grabbed the first glass I could reach and gulped it down. Then you grabbed my hand and dragged me out onto the dance floor. I remember the beginning of the dance but that's where my memory of the night fades. Well, a... aside from the sex dream later." Hermione, stammered, her cheeks going pink. "What I thought was a dream—I mean. Obviously, it actually wasn't, it must have been real, and looking back now I guess it's not entirely as clear as I first thought. I just know that... err... just that it was... umm... good."

"Good? You said it was the 'best ever'," Harry reminded her with a grin. "I believe your actual words were 'mind-blowing'."

Hermione blushed even brighter. "Harry stop... please."

"Forget the sex," snapped Severus in irritation. "We did not dance. I don't understand why you believe that we did."

"Severus, we _did_ dance, and I'm not the only one to remember it," she insisted. "A few days later when Pansy confessed to me about the Lust Potion, she mentioned that dance and said that you and I looked very cozy out there. In fact she said something to the effect that we were 'all over each other' which I found odd, because it didn't sound like the way either of us would act in public. That's when I realized that there was more that I couldn't remember aside from the mystery man from my supposed dream."

Severus scowled. "This makes no sense," he muttered. "Did we _all_ lose our memories of that night?" He turned to Harry. "What about you, Potter? What do you remember from that night?"

"I didn't show up until late. From what I can recall, I didn't see you or Hermione there. I'd been drinking at two other pubs already before I arrived. My goal was to get roaring drunk and I believe I achieved it. Later, when the party was wrapping up Draco told me I was too drunk to Apparate. He said there was an empty room at the top of the stairs that he'd reserved for his father, but that Lucius had left with you earlier so I was free to use it. I remember stumbling in, undressing, and falling into bed without even turning on the lights. It was a big bed—I didn't even know Hermione was on the other side of it, not until she told me about waking up in the morning and finding us together."

"So obviously, whoever I was with had already left by that point," Hermione said thoughtfully."Do you know what time you came in, Harry?"

"Not for certain," replied Harry, "but if I were to guess, I'd say between two and three a.m."

"Severus, what's the last thing you remember that night? And do you know what time it was?" asked Hermione. "If we can put together a timeline, that might help us to reason things out.

Severus rubbed his hand over his chin as he thought back to that night. "I definitely remember Lucius dancing with you, Hermione. He was holding you much too close. I didn't like it," he added with a quick glance. "I do recall the two of you returning to the table... then... I'm not sure. The next thing I recall it was later, I think, because Lucius was telling me it was time to leave. I don't know what the actual time was, though."

"Well, for now we need to concentrate on one piece of the puzzle at a time. Let's start with reviewing our memories of the events leading up to where Hermione's memory fades," suggested Harry. "I think we should start with her memories first."

* * *

The three went over Hermione's memories, making several trips into the Pensieve. They reviewed from the time the girls had arrived at the Dragon's Lair until just before she danced with Severus: after that point, the Pensieve just faded to black. Pulling out of the Pensieve the last time, Harry shook his head a bit to regain his equilibrium and looked at Hermione with his brow furrowed.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I know you said you'd had a lot to drink, but even taking that into consideration, you were acting very strangely—not at all like you. I've been drinking with you plenty of times, and some when you got pretty pissed too, and I never recall you acting so brazen, so uninhibited."

"I thought the same thing myself, looking back later," Hermione agreed. "And Pansy even commented on that too, that I was acting out-of-character. My actions didn't seem like me at all."

"Fucking hell, that could be the key!" exclaimed Severus suddenly. Harry and Hermione both looked at him expectantly. "Are you in the habit of taking recreational potions?" he asked Hermione bluntly.

"Illegal potions? No, of course not." She frowned. "Why would you ask me something like that?"

"We all agree that you were acting uncharacteristically that night, very uninhibited, correct?" The other two nodded. "I've just recalled that last month there was an article in _Potion Masters Quarterly_ about an adverse reaction between two potions: a Lust Potion and an Anti-inhibition Potion. The study was conducted as the Anti-inhibition Potion has become increasingly popular for recreational use. It's street name is Anti-I. These two potions when taken individually cause no harmful interaction. Either taken separately but in combination with alcohol is still safe. However, there is evidence to suggest that when Anti-I is mixed with alcohol and with certain Lust Potions, it can result in short term memory loss."

"But I already told you that I didn't take anything like that," protested Hermione.

"Like the potion Pansy slipped into George's drink, someone could have slipped something into one of your drinks earlier without you even knowing," suggested Harry.

"Why?" asked Hermione, dumbfounded. "That makes no sense. Why would someone do something like that?"

Harry shrugged. "It could have been meant as a joke—in very poor taste perhaps, but innocent enough. Another possibility is someone with a grudge, wanting to get back at you for something by trying to embarrass you. More worrisome by far, there could be a more sinister purpose. There have been some recent cases of that type of potion being used in the same way as Muggle date rape drugs."

Hermione gasped in shock. "But that's horrible!"

Harry nodded grimly while Severus' expression grew thunderous.

"Something is definitely not right. Could this explain why you don't remember dancing with Hermione and the rest of the evening, Severus?" asked Harry. "Is there any chance, you could have somehow got a dose of both potions as well? Did you maybe drink from Hermione's tainted drink earlier then get some of George's drink by mistake?" asked Harry.

"I don't think so, but that doesn't mean it's impossible," replied Severus.

* * *

The three spent the next hour reviewing more of Hermione's memories, trying unsuccessfully to spot when someone might have slipped something into her drink.

After Hermione had yawned for the third time in a row, Severus insisted that she was done for the night. "Pensieve viewing is very draining in the best of circumstances. You have clearly exhausted yourself. Go to bed. We will continue this without you," he said tersely.

"Severus is right, love," Harry quickly interjected, having noted by the set of her jaw that she was going to protest. "And these aren't the best of circumstances, are they? You're already frazzled from all the worry, and now this business on top of it all. Please go get some sleep. I promise I'll tell you first thing tomorrow if we find anything." As she opened her mouth to object, he played his trump card. "You have to think of the baby too, sweetie, all this stress can't be good for the baby. You both need some rest. Please, Hermione?"

"Oh, very well," she said reluctantly and brushing a kiss on Harry's cheek, she stood to leave. She glanced at Severus, looking for a moment as if she'd like to give him a similar goodnight, but instead she settled for pausing behind his chair to rest her hand upon his shoulder. "Thank you for all your help, Severus," she said softly, bending close to him. "I really do appreciate everything you're doing."

His hand covered hers briefly for a gentle squeeze as he turned his head to look into her eyes. "No thanks are needed, but you're welcome anyway. We will find an answer."

With a small smile she nodded and left the room.

Severus heaved a sigh and glanced over at Harry. "How do you do that?" he asked, shaking his head in bafflement.

"Do what?"

"I essentially told her the same thing you did about getting some rest, but she was ready to argue with me. Yet when you suggest it, she trots off docilely."

Harry smiled slyly. "Because I've known Hermione since I was eleven years old and I've managed to learn a few things in all those years. _You_ implied that you knew what was best for her, better than she knew herself, and then you ordered her to go to bed. _I_ however, gently reminded her of how much stress she's been under and that she needs to take care of both herself and the baby. Then I basically just begged her to do it."

Severus considered Harry's words for a moment. He nodded and said reflectively, "I think I have a lot to learn, where Hermione Granger is concerned."

Harry snorted and replied with a wink, "I'll give you lessons, free of charge. Let's hope you're better at them than I was at Occlumency."

* * *

Hermione awoke the next morning feeling well rested. She felt great, in fact, until she rolled over and caught a whiff of something that smelled suspiciously like bacon frying. Why in hell would she smell bacon? Her stomach roiled and she reached for her cream crackers. Damn! She'd forgot to put any out when she'd come to bed the night before. She took several deep breaths, swallowing hard and trying to forestall the nausea that threatened. Just as she thought she'd succeeded and sat up on the edge of the bed, she realized immediately it was a lost cause. Hermione made a mad dash for the loo and what now seemed to be her morning ritual of worship to the porcelain gods.

That was where she was a moment later, on the floor with her arms wrapped around the toilet bowl, when she looked up to see Harry standing in the doorway holding a breakfast tray. That explained the smell of bacon. He appeared to be at a loss as to what to do, looking frantically around for a place to set the tray down. Fortunately, Severus appeared next to him and, nudging Harry aside, he repeated his ministrations from the other morning at his house. He secured her hair back with a quick spell, rubbed her back and murmured soothing words, supplied her with cool damp flannels and when she was done he helped her to her feet.

"Alright, now?" he murmured.

She nodded. "Just embarrassed," she said as she rested against him briefly before stepping to the sink to rinse out her mouth.

"Well, since you're up now I'll take this back to the kitchen and you can eat there... err... that is if you feel like you can eat." Hermione could see Harry in the mirror; he looked from her to the toilet and then with a frown on his face added, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. I didn't think about your morning sickness. I'll just get rid of it."

"No! Don't you dare, Harry," she ordered. "I'm ravenous, take it back to the kitchen and put a warming charm on it, I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

Hermione washed up quickly and ran a comb through her hair before throwing on some jeans and a faded tee shirt. Barefoot, she padded down the hallway to her kitchen where she was greeted by a sight that up until that very moment she'd have sworn could only be the stuff of fiction: Severus Snape and Harry Potter sitting at her table and conversing like two regular people over morning tea and sticky buns.

"Mmmm... sticky buns," she sighed as she sat down and poured her tea, then reached for the plate.

Harry smacked her hand, pushing the tray out of reach and putting the plate of eggs, bacon and toast in front of her. "Real food first," he said.

"Those buns are real food," pouted Hermione. "Why do you and Severus get to have them?"

"Because we have already eaten our breakfast while you were having your lie in, Miss Slug-a-bed," countered Severus. "Besides, Harry made this just for you."

"Well, yes, okay. It does look good." She pick up her fork and began digging into the scrambled eggs. "What are you two doing here this early, anyway?"

"Oh, we never left," replied Harry.

Hermione's fork clattered back down onto the plate as she looked from one to the other. "You stayed up all night going over the Pensieve memories?" she asked.

"Eat," said Severus gently. As she picked up her fork again, he explained, "We kept at it for a couple of hours after you went to bed, but we realized we were getting tired too and didn't want to chance missing something because of that. Harry allowed me to have your guest room and he slept on the couch."

"We both woke up early and finished reviewing the memories again," said Harry.

"Well, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me, did you find anything."

"Nothing as far as who might have slipped the Anti-I potion into your drink. But I am somewhat relieved that we know it wasn't Lucius," said Severus.

Hermione looked at him. "Were you worried that it might be?"

"Aside from being my friend, Lucius is many things but I did not think him the type to drug a woman to get her into his bed. Especially not one that I was attracted to."

Hermione was surprised that Severus would make such a confession in front of Harry. "Did Lucius know that?"

"When we arrived and saw you there among Miss Parkinson's entourage, I made him promise not to let me do anything foolish in regards to you. I assume he could read between the lines."

"And when we suspected that I had been drugged, you worried that it might have been him?"

"Well, he was paying an inordinate amount of attention to you, and one never knows what goes through that bloody idiot's head. However, from viewing your memories it is clear that you began to exhibit the symptoms long before we got to the party. Since he and I arrived together, there is no way he could have been the one to tamper with one of your drinks."

Harry grinned. "There is another explanation for Lucius' behavior, Severus, "Maybe he was trying to make you jealous."

Severus brows drew together as he considered Harry's theory. "Why on earth would he do that?"

"Perhaps when you refused Hermione's invitation to dance, assuming he did 'read between the lines' as you said, he figured if he could make you jealous, you would act on your feelings."

Severus shrugged. "Who knows for sure why Lucius does anything he does?" Then, seeing that Hermione had eaten every scrap of food before her, stopping just shy of licking the plate clean, he slid the tray with two sticky buns left on it back within her reach. Catching his eye she smiled her thanks to him as he freshened her cup of tea.

* * *

She was not smiling a few moments later. Harry informed her that _they _had been discussing options and had decided that she should not be staying alone at her flat until they were sure that someone wasn't stalking her.

Hermione bristled at the implication that she couldn't take care of herself. "I most certainly am not leaving my home, don't be ridiculous," she said.

"Ridiculous?" snapped Severus. What was wrong with the woman? "It's hardly ridiculous when we have no idea why or by whom you may have been drugged, or whether he's still be around waiting for a second chance."

"That is highly unlikely," Hermione snapped back.

"You don't know that! The person who slipped the potion into your drink is very likely the man who unwittingly fathered your child," said Severus. "If he has developed some sort of compulsive attraction, who knows what he may try next? Especially once it becomes known that you are pregnant."

"It's true. If he's obsessed enough to go to such extremes in the first place, he might come back," added Harry.

"I think both of you are jumping at shadows. It's been weeks since then and nothing has happened. There's no reason to believe that it will," reasoned Hermione.

Severus' fist hit the table with a bang. "Damn it all, Hermione, you will listen to reason!"

Harry who had picked up Hermione's dishes to carry them to the sink jumped at the noise and nearly dropped them. He quickly set them down and spun around. He was directly behind Hermione and thus out of her line of sight. His eyes huge, he shook his head violently at Severus and moved his hand in front of his throat making a cutting motion.

Severus frowned at Harry, completely at a loss as to what his manic charades were supposed to mean. Harry made another motion with his hands as if he were choking himself and pointed at Severus. Then he pointed to Hermione and smiled idiotically while petting his hand. He then put his hands together as if he were praying. He repeated this sequence several times.

Severus finally managed to infer that Harry was trying to say that Severus was killing himself by making demands, when he should be soothing Hermione and begging her to do what he wanted.

Unfortunately, before he could act on Harry's unspoken advice, Hermione twigged to the fact that something was going on behind her. She turned quickly, catching Harry just as he snapped his hands down to his sides and tried to look innocent.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" she snarled as she got up and stalked out of the room.

Harry sighed and turned back to Severus. "Well, apparently you're no better at retaining your lessons than I was," he said in disgust.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Strange Bedfellows

Chapter 4

Severus waited several minutes to allow Hermione to calm down before he approached her. When he entered the living room she was staring at the Pensieve with a sour look on her face.

As he sat next to her she looked up at him and one corner of her mouth quirked up in a half smile. Well good, apparently it wasn't him she was ticked off at, in spite of the confrontation in the kitchen. "You looked disgusted just now. Has that Pensieve offended you in some way?"

She shook her head, and turned to stare at the Pensieve again. "I was just thinking. I'm going to have to go back in there, to view the dream. That is... what I thought was a dream. What I mean to say, is I'm going to have to go back and review the sex. Even though I can't remember his face, I do have some very vivid impressions of what went on. Maybe viewing it will trigger some other memories." She paused and looked up at him. "Why is it I can't remember anything about that night after the two of us danced, yet I can still recall these brief graphic snippets of wild, intense, raw, incredibly passionate sex?"

Severus cleared his throat then, answered softly, "I suspect you remember it precisely for that very reason. Because it _was_ just that: wild, intense, raw, and incredibly passionate. The combination of emotions and hormones probably affected your brain chemistry enough to throw off the effects of the potions briefly. Not enough that you could remember everything, just the most intense moments."

She considered this for a moment. "If your theory is right, maybe that's good. That means what I recall was _not_ really the best sex of my life, I'm merely remembering the most intense moments—the highlights, so to speak."

"Thank Merlin. That would be hard to compete with," he said without thinking.

Realizing what he'd said, he glanced over at her in time to see her blush before she covered her face with her hands.

"Severus, I have to go in there alone. I can't have you and Harry watching, it would be wrong on so many levels. It would be like having my brother and my... my... well, someone I care for, watching some kind of porno flick with me in the starring role."

He didn't exactly relish the idea of watching her in such a role either, especially with Potter looking on. Severus felt his stomach churn at the thought of seeing Hermione in the throes of passion with some nameless, faceless wizard. Still, he felt compelled to point out the obvious. "It may be difficult for you to be objective. You may miss clues that a more impartial witness might catch."

She stared at him in skeptically. "Oh, and you think either you or Harry could be impartial?"

"Absolutely not," he declared emphatically.

"Good to know," she responded with obvious relief.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts until Severus decided it was time to put Harry's lesson to the test. "Hermione, about what we were discussing in the kitchen..."

"Severus, I don't intend to leave my home. I can take care of myself, I have been doing so for years," she said firmly.

"Yes, I do agree you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself," he said calmly, watching her face from the corner of his eye for signs of rebuttal. Ahhh, there, she'd just taken a deep breath to begin an argument but his agreement had thrown her off balance.

"You do?"

This was going well. Now to reassure and sooth her. "Of course, I never meant to imply otherwise. Not only are you highly intelligent, but you're a very powerful witch as well. However, you must admit that we just don't know what we're dealing with. It could be, as Harry said, some practical joke gone wrong, or payback from someone who bears you a grudge, or something much more disturbing by far. We just don't know, and neither do you if you are honest with yourself."

She seemed to consider his words for a moment before speaking. "Okay, you're right about that. But it has been weeks. Don't you think if someone were going to try something else, he would have done it by now?"

"It seems likely, yes. But someone who is obsessed can be very patient; he could simply be biding his time."

"Or it could have been a one off—he got what he wanted and he's moved on."

"Or not." Severus sighed dramatically, he hoped he wasn't overplaying his part. "Hermione, why did I come here yesterday?"

She looked at him guiltily then responded softly, "You were worried about me, because I'd sent you that note and then left you hanging without updating you as to what was happening. I am sorry for that, Severus, I never meant for you to worry."

"Exactly, but I did, and I will continue to worry about you until we get to the bottom of this. Harry will too, and with just cause. If some madman was willing to dose you with an illegal potion and take advantage of you in a public place while you were surrounded by your friends, what might he be willing to do if he managed to get you alone." He could see she was wavering at his calm reminder of the risks, so he went in for the kill. "And, it's not just your welfare you need to worry about now, is it?"

Hermione's hands immediately closed protectively across her abdomen as she contemplated his words. "I suppose I could move in with Harry for a while," she finally agreed, reluctantly.

"No—" he began.

"No?" she interrupted with a suspicious look.

"Think, Hermione. The entire wizarding world knows how close you and Harry are. His home would be the first place someone would look for you." He paused, uncertain how she would take his next statement. "However no one would ever think to look for you at my house. You have to come to work anyway, and staying there would save you having to Apparate, which only aggravates your nausea."

"Severus, I couldn't impose."

"It's not an imposition. It's not like I'm still living in a two-up two-down. I have plenty of room, and outside work hours, in our spare time, we can try to figure all this out. Plus, we both know that there is a strong attraction between us, I know you can feel it as much as I do. In spite of your fears to the contrary, the fact that you are pregnant does not change my feelings at all in that regard. I want to explore it, now, more than ever."

She hesitated. "You discussed this with Harry?"

"Not about the attraction between us, but yes, we are both in agreement that you should not to be alone here right now, and this is the best solution," he lied smoothly. It was true that Harry and he had discussed getting her out of her flat until this was all settled, but they had definitely not chosen his home as the most likely location for her to stay. That was entirely Severus' idea. A very good idea it was, in his honest opinion. _So much for the persuading, now for the begging,_ he thought. "Please, Hermione, won't you consider this idea? It would put Harry's and my mind both at ease. Please?"

She heaved a dramatic sigh. "Oh, very well. I still don't think I'm in any imminent danger, but I suppose it won't do any harm to get away from here for a few days."

* * *

While Hermione had dreaded the prospect of having to view her dream-sex memories in the Pensieve she was a bit perturbed when the option was suddenly taken away from her.

"Harry, you can't take it now," she objected, even as he was packing it up to go.

"Hermione, I have to. I just got a message from Millie down at the Aurory. She's on duty this weekend and she agreed to cover for me when I 'borrowed_'_ the Pensieve, but there's been a big break in a case and our supervisor is going to be demanding it any time. I have to take it back or she'll be in big trouble."

"But I still need to watch the smutty stuff and see if I can learn anything." As soon as the words left her mouth, she flushed. "Errr... that is... I... oh, hell, that didn't come out right. What I meant was that I have to review my sex bits for research. Oh no... that doesn't sound right either. Damn it, you know what I mean."

Harry grinned as he headed toward the door carrying the Pensieve. "Sorry, love, gotta go. Maybe you can get Severus to help you research your sex bits."

"Harry!" She grabbed a pillow and threw it at him as he laughed, closing the door behind him.

She started as arms wrapped around her and a voice rumbled close to her ear. "Next time throw something heavy, it will hurt more. And just so you know, I'd be more than happy to help you research your sex bits. I'm sure we could both learn lots of things."

"Oh, dear goddess. You heard that part?" she said, leaning back against his chest. "How can you joke about it? It's awful!" she said, torn between misery and a desire to laugh

Severus drew her to the couch but instead of sitting her next to him he pulled her down onto his lap. "We've both made it clear that we care for each other and we want to try to make this work, correct?" Hermione nodded in agreement. "What happened that night at Draco's party is like the elephant in the room. We can tip-toe around it and pretend it isn't there, but it's not going to go away. Even if we try to ignore it, we'll have a permanent reminder by the end of this year." His laid his hand tentatively over her stomach.

Hermione choked up. "I'm so sorry. I wish we could start over and that none of this had happened." She sobbed once, trying to hold back tears.

"Don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong. Perhaps I am explaining this badly." Severus pulled her in close so her head rested on his shoulder. "You asked me how I can joke about this? I was awake half the night thinking of nothing but our situation and I came to this conclusion: I could be bitter and jealous and angry, but it would solve nothing. If these were normal circumstances and we were on the verge of a new relationship, neither one of us would be coming into it as innocents. We both have pasts to deal with. What happened that night is just part of your past, but you are in no way guilty of any wrong-doing. We will have to let the past be the past and start from right now—this moment."

She lifted her head to look him in the face. "Can we do that? I mean, do you think it will work?"

"I think it can if we want it to. I do have one proviso, however. I realize we still need to search for answers, to find out who the fa... that is to say, the sperm donor is, as he may be someone who could be a danger to you or to the baby. While I know it's too early for either of us to commit to something more permanent, what I propose is this: from this moment on, for all intents and purposes, this is my child—our child."

Hermione drew back in disbelief. "Severus, are you serious?"

"I have never been more serious in my entire life," he answered. "The baby is a part of you, that's what's important to me."

"Oh Severus!" she wailed, breaking into tears and sobbing on his shoulder.

He cuddled her close, his voice slightly gravelly as he whispered in her ear. "So, will you agree?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" she cried, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her shirt.

He handed her a hanky. "You know, if you're going to be crying all the time you should carry one of these."

"I never cry," she declared, wiping her eyes and then blowing her nose loudly.

"Of course you don't," he replied. "I'm sure it's the hormones."

Hermione threw her arms around his neck and snuggled close. "Yeah... must be the hormones. That's it—fucking hormones."

* * *

Not wanting to give Hermione time to change her mind, Severus set her to gathering whatever she would need for the next week or so. He assured her that anything she might leave behind could easily be fetched later. By the time Harry returned, Hermione was in her room finishing the last few things she'd forgotten to pack.

Severus took advantage of her absence to inform Harry of their decision. "Not that it is anyone's business, but from here forward, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, Hermione is carrying my child. I for one would appreciate your silence on the matter Potter," he commanded gruffly.

Harry looked at him with something akin to awe. "On my word of honor, your secret is safe with me," he promised, holding out his hand to shake on it. Severus grasped his hand firmly, only to be shocked when Harry mumbled, "Oh, hell!" and pulled him into a hug. "You're a good man, Severus Snape."

Severus sputtered briefly and shoved him away. "Yes... well... here," he said, pushing a slip of paper into Harry's hand. "It's the address of my home—it's secret-kept so you'll need this. Hermione, I am sure will be expecting you to come round, so you should know how to find us."

"Thanks. Isn't Hermione planning to come back here eventually, though? After we figure everything out and we know it's safe for her, I mean."

Severus hesitated, then took the plunge. "I am in hopes that by then I will be able to convince her to make our arrangement something more... permanent. If she will have me, that is." Harry's face broke into a grin and he made a move toward Severus who took a quick step back, hands raised. "No hugs, Potter. Slytherins don't hug."

Harry eyed him quizzically for a moment then asked, "But you'll hug Hermione, right? She's a very affectionate person, she'll be expecting it."

Severus nodded warily.

"Good. And you'll hug the baby too, sometimes, right? Babies need lots of hugs and attention."

Again Severus nodded. Where was Potter going with this?

"Great. So the truth of the matter is that when it comes to their family, Slytherins obviously do hug!"

"What's your point, Potter?" Severus said, figuring whatever the point was, he wasn't going to like it.

"Well, Hermione's the closest I'll ever come to a sister, so I guess this will make us sort of like brothers, or brothers-in-law at least. Face it, whether you like it or not, that makes me family," said Harry with a cheeky grin as he swooped in to hug Severus again.

"Dear Merlin, save me from Gryffindors," Severus muttered under his breath as he extricated himself.

"You know at one point, knowing I can never father a child of my own, I thought I might be a father figure to Hermione's child, " admitted Harry, wistfully. "But I think you're a great alternative, Severus."

"I'm sure that the baby will be needing an uncle or perhaps even the services of a godfather eventually,"

said Severus cautiously.

As Harry moved toward him again, Severus brought his wand up. "I swear to Merlin, if you try to hug me one more time, Harry Potter, I will hex your sorry arse!"

"What?" said Hermione from the doorway. "There's hugging and hexing going on in here? What's that all about?"

Harry proceeded to hug her and explain that Severus had revealed his plan to claim the baby as his own. Hermione smiled fondly at Severus and blinked back tears while muttering something about 'stupid hormones'.

Before Severus and Hermione set off, it was decided that Harry would check with Pansy and try to determine the origin and type of Lust Potion she had used and if she had noticed anything unusual that night. They would also need to get their hands on another Pensieve as Harry wouldn't have access to the one at work until possibly next weekend, if then. Severus admitted he might know where he could get his hands on one and promised to investigate the possibility.

* * *

Severus had a bit of an awkward moment when they arrived at his home. He hadn't planned any of this in advance and had no idea whether he should offer her the guest room or move her right into his own room. It seemed a bit bold to just move her in with him, but if that's what she was expecting and he put her in a guest room her feelings might be hurt. On the other hand, if she wasn't expecting to stay in his room then she might be offended. Fuck! This whole relationship thing was harder than he'd thought, and they'd barely started.

There were three bedrooms upstairs aside from his own. One of them he used as a makeshift library for his overflow of books and journals. Another was tiny and currently half full of boxes he'd never bothered to unpack even though he'd lived here for several years. The third was across from his bedroom, and was a fully functional guest room with a comfy bed and a nice goose neck reading light on the bedside table. He just didn't know which room he was supposed to offer her.

Hermione, who had stopped to use the loo, solved his dilemma without even realizing there was one. She came up the stairs and stopped before him as he stood in the hallway between the two rooms.

"So, which room is yours?" she asked, glancing from one to the other. He pointed to the room on the right. She poked her head in and looked around. "Great," she said. "I like it." She levitated her bags in and proceeded to rearrange the closet to make room for her things.

Well that was much easier than he'd expected.

She came out of the closet looking well pleased. "Is there room in the dresser for some of my things?"

"There's more?" he asked in confusion. "Your bags didn't look that big." Which was why he'd specifically mentioned back at her flat that they could come back for whatever she needed later. He had expected her to just throw together a couple days worth of stuff.

"Undectectable Extension Charms," she replied. "I perfected it when we went on the run, seventh year. It's handy to know."

"Hmmm... I often wondered how it is you seem to have just about everything in that handbag of yours."

"So now you know," she replied with a grin. "Any room in the dresser? I suppose I could use the charm and get by with just one drawer."

Severus was a bit flustered at her easy appropriation of his personal space, but at the same time pleased that she was making herself at home. "Not necessary. I don't have a lot of stuff, it's just spread out. I'll consolidate it. See, socks in with the pants, and I can move these over here... I really don't need to keep my old t-shirt collection in here, I'll put them in the spare room. There now... jumpers to this drawer and there you go. You have half the drawers free for your things," he said, looking up at her with a smile. "I'll put these away and head downstairs to start dinner. Take your time and come down when you're done."

Quite satisfied with how things had turned out, he wandered down to the kitchen humming a snippet of 'Stairway to Heaven' under his breath.

He fixed a simple dinner which they both enjoyed. Afterward Hermione volunteered to clean up since he'd cooked, and they discussed the division of the chores. While she tidied the kitchen, Severus went out to the lab to check his inventory for the project they were going to start the next day, and did some minor prep work on a couple of the ingredients.

By the time he came back in, Hermione had settled in the sitting room with a cup of tea and a book. She poured him a cuppa and he opened his newest Potions journal, ready to sit back and enjoy a relaxing evening. Life didn't get much better than this, he thought, congratulating himself on pulling it all together with hardly a moments notice.

Little did he know that before long everything was going to go pear shaped.

* * *

Hermione spent most of the evening pretending to read her book, while surreptitiously observing Severus from beneath her eyelashes.

She'd been attracted to the man within a few weeks of coming to work as his research assistant. It had come as quite a shock to her. She'd been excited to get the job, of course, because... well, because it was Professor Snape. He was without a doubt the most intelligent man she'd ever known and his research was cutting edge, which in itself was heart-poundingly exhilarating for someone like herself. She'd certainly never expected to find herself attracted to her former teacher in more personal, more intimate ways. Gradually though, she'd started noticing little things about him that she never had before: how his eyes lit up when they were brewing an especially difficult potion and it came out right, or how animated he became when they were debating the pros and cons of a controversial article from one of the journals, or how beautiful his hands were as he was preparing ingredients, writing notations on a new potion, or even just turning the pages of a book.

She gave herself a little shake and rolled her eyes. _Get a grip, Hermione. You're waxing poetic over his hands, for Merlin's sake._ Still, the truth was, she'd never wanted anyone as badly as she wanted him—and now, unexpectedly, in the matter of a couple of days, here she was living in his house and aching to crawl into bed with him tonight. It suddenly seemed overwhelming. In spite of the fact that she'd secretly lusted after him for months, they'd hardly touched except for earlier when he'd cuddled her on his lap. They'd never even kissed, for Circe's sake. What was he going to expect of her tonight? What had she been thinking? Oh, sweet goddess, this was a recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

A few moments later the clock chimed ten o'clock. Severus put his journal down and stood to stretch. "Ready to go up?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.

"Umm..." For an instant she considered telling him she was right in the middle of an exciting bit and wanted to finish the next chapter. Or three. Then she realized she hadn't turned a page in the last fifteen minutes and knowing him he'd probably noticed that. "Yes, I'm ready if you are," she said, pasting a bright smile on her face to cover her nerves.

There was an awkward moment when they got up to the bedroom, where they just stood next to the bed and stared at each other, then Hermione gestured toward the bathroom and said, "Why don't you go first? It will probably take me longer anyway. Girly stuff, you know."

He nodded and disappeared into the bathroom. She gathered her things together, then rushed in as soon as he came out, practically slamming the door behind her. Once in the bathroom she took her time. She put on her nightie, brushed her hair, started to lotion her legs then decided to use a quick Depilatory Charm first, lotioned them again, cleaned her face with cleansers and moisturizers, then brushed her teeth. She was in the process of flossing and staring into the mirror wondering what in hell she'd been thinking in accepting his offer to stay at his house, let alone in his room. Suddenly she froze, an icy feeling of dread trickling down her spine as she recalled the scene from earlier today when she'd come up the stairs. _Had_ he asked her to move into his room? Or had she merely assumed that was his intention?

Hermione gripped the edge of the sink and stared at her reflection in horror with a hunk of floss hanging from between her teeth. He hadn't been busy clearing out space for her things, he'd been standing in the hall between the two rooms. She sat down on the closed lid of the toilet with a hard thump and stared sightlessly at the door that stood between them. What a total idiot she was! He hadn't objected, though, had he? Of course, how could he, when she'd just barged in and started rearranging his closet to make room for her things. Elbows propped upon her knees, she covered her face with her hands and moaned softly. How was she going to go out there and face him now that she realized the truth? This was so awkward. Maybe she could just flush herself down the toilet like the ones at the Ministry, or maybe if she sat here long enough he'd fall asleep...

A tapping at the door roused her. "Hermione? Is everything alright? Are you ill?"

Scratch that option. He hadn't fallen asleep. She had no idea what to do. The now-familiar tears stung the back of her eyes. Damn bloody hormones! She _never_ cried, and now somehow, she'd turned into a perpetual watering pot—she was sick of it. Taking a deep breath she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. She was a Gryffindor, she was Hermione Granger, and she was done with tears, damn it.

* * *

Severus stood outside the door for the longest time, unsure if anything were wrong or not. She'd been in there forever it seemed. 'Girly stuff,' she'd said, but Hermione Granger was the least 'girly' female he knew, so what did that mean? Apparently whatever it was it took an inordinate amount of time. He paced silently on bare feet across the room several times, finally coming to a stop before the door again. Should he wait? Was this normal? He leaned close to the door and and heard a soft moan from inside.

Enough was enough. He tapped on the door lightly. "Hermione? Is everything alright? Are you ill?"

"Yes... err... no... I'm fine. I'll be right out."

Hermione's voice sounded hesitant and a little shaky. The knob turned and the door opened a crack then swung open to reveal Hermione standing there. She was wearing a pale blue, knee length cotton nightie with a scoop neck and a bit of white lace trim. It was not something he would have considered sexy in any way, shape or form, in any other situation, but seeing her there now his mouth went dry and he felt an involuntary tightening in his groin.

"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice slightly gravelly. "I thought I heard a moan."

"Yes, I suppose you did." She chewed her lip for a moment then cleared her throat. "That was me having an epiphany that I somehow managed to move myself into your bedroom without so much as a by your leave. I am so sorry, Severus. When I came up the stairs this afternoon I put all my things in here, thinking that was what you expected."

He felt a heaviness settle in his chest. His cock had definitely gotten the message also and was no longer straining to attention. She hadn't wanted to stay with him; she'd only done it because that's what she thought he expected. He focused his eyes in the vicinity of her toes, not wanting her to see the disappointment in them. "It's perfectly all right. You may use the guest room, if you wish."

"That would be fine, if you'd rather I do that," she said, her voice subdued.

He glanced up quickly and thought he caught a fleeting look of something—disappointment, or longing perhaps? Had he misunderstood? She seemed to be mumbling something, so he took a half a step closer and listened carefully. "I'm a Gryffindor... I'm a Gryffindor... I'm a Gryffindor..."

Taking deep breath, Hermione stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of him, nearly touching, but not quite. She looked directly into his eyes. "Before I move across the hall, though, I want to be certain there aren't any misunderstandings here. I'll admit that I'm rather nervous and unsure of myself... of us. This is all happening very fast, after all. In just few short days, we've gone from being colleagues and friends to something much more, and for myself I want that very much."

She took half a step closer. The tips of her breasts now brushed lightly against his chest and it felt like an electrical charge. She reached up tentatively, her fingers just barely caressing his face. Even that slight touch caused his cock to twitch again and his legs felt like he'd been hit with a Jelly-Leg Curse. Dear Merlin, she could bring him to his knees with a mere touch.

"Honestly, I've wanted this for quite some time," she continued, her voice husky. "I am right where I want to be, Severus—here with you. I want that to be perfectly clear. But just a few minutes ago I realized that I sort of bulldozed my way in here earlier, so if this is moving too fast—if you think we should slow down—then you need to tell me straight out that you want me to take the guest room and I'll respect that decision. I assumed that you wanted me here with you, but you told me yesterday I should never assume anything without proof."

He reached for her then and jerked her body hard against his, wrapping her in his arms. "Come here, woman, here's your proof," he growled as his lips claimed hers in a searing kiss. Hermione groaned as she kissed him back with an equal fervor. He wasn't quite sure exactly how it happened. It seemed as if one second they were standing in the middle of the room holding each other, kissing, touching, hands roaming everywhere. Then somehow, the next thing he knew, they were on the bed, both naked, her nipple in his mouth and his knee pressed snugly against the apex of her thighs as she undulated against him and stroked his cock while she whispered filthy, dirty things in his ear.

The evening progressed rather quickly from that point on.

* * *

They lay in bed spooned together, exhausted but well satisfied from their exertions. Both of them were nearly ready to drift off when Hermione murmured sleepily, "So, I'm _assuming _I'll be staying in your room with you?"

"Mmm...Hmm... " hummed Severus, wrapping his arm around her and scooting her in even closer. "I must say, I think taking things slowly is highly over-rated."

Hermione shivered slightly at his words.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I don't know... that was weird. When you said that, it was like déjà vu." She snuggled close to him. "G'night, Severus."

"Goodnight, love."

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

AN:

I would like to offer my unending gratitude to my lovely alpha-reader/cheerleader: Morethansirius, beta-reader extraordinaire: Delphipsmith, and brit-picker/cheerleader/back-up beta: Talesofsnape. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dears! I can't say it enough, you three are totally awesome.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

* * *

She woke up the next morning and for one brief startling instant, it felt exactly like another morning not so long ago when she'd awakened somewhere else in a different strange bed.

She yawned and stretched a bit as she rolled onto her back and threw one arm across her eyes. Her mind drifted back to the night before and she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up into a huge grin. Great Godric, now _that _was glorious sex! What had she been thinking when she'd claimed that night weeks ago was the best sex of her life? It was clear to her now that she really hadn't had a clue. As she replayed the events of last night, the grin stayed plastered on her face until she recalled all the nasty, wicked things she'd whispered to Severus in the heat of passion._Oh my, I'll never be able to look him in the eye again without blushing!_ she thought with a frown.

She heard an annoyed grunt and lowered her arm to find Severus right next to her, his head propped on his hand, observing her closely. "You looked exceedingly happy just a second ago, but now you're frowning. What is percolating in that giant, over active brain of yours?"

Hermione closed her eyes. "I... I just can't believe some of the things I said to you. I've never t... talked like that before."

Severus sighed in relief. "So you're embarrassed by your own enthusiasm, but you are not regretting what we did?"

Hermione's eyes flew open and she lunged toward him, her momentum rolling him onto his back. She straddled his hips and, threading her fingers through his, pinned his hands to the pillow. "Regretting it? Of course not. How can you even think that? It was... it was... "

"Mind-blowing?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yessss," she sighed, "Absolutely mind-blowingly fantastic, it was bell ringing, earth-shattering..." she melted against him, rubbing her body on his as she leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss. Lightly at first, her lips slid over his. Then she nibbled at his bottom lip, teasing him. The tip of her tongue darted forth, just barely penetrating between his lips then retreating before he'd even managed to get a taste.

Severus strained upward, trying to capture her mouth with his, but she withdrew and continued to taunt and torment him until—she squealed as he flipped her over, draping his leg across her thighs and holding both her small hands in his large one, pressed firmly above her head. This conveniently left his other hand free to roam and explore her captive body. "Best be careful, little girl," his voice rumbled. "You're playing with fire now. You might get burned."

Hermione giggled, not intimidated in the least. She nibbled from his chin along the bottom edge of his jaw up to his ear where she nipped his lobe sharply before suckling it. "Ooohh... big bad man. That doesn't scare me, and neither do you. I like fire—in fact, I tame it," she whispered. "Didn't you know? Bluebell flames are one of my specialties."

"Bluebell flames? You're like a sprite of the forest... My sprite." He kissed her deeply before pulling back to look down into her eyes. He still had her hands secured above her head and with his other hand he gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "You need never be embarrassed about anything we say or do with each other. We are both consenting adults. In all honesty hearing you whisper all those naughty things last night nearly drove me mad with lust."

She lowered her eyes and smiled shyly. "To be truthful, I've never even done a fraction of that stuff." Her eyes shifted up to gaze boldly into his. "I've read about it, though... a lot.'

Severus' deep chuckle vibrated through her. "Why doesn't that surprise me? Of course you have, you're Hermione Granger. I'll definitely need to peruse your restricted section, my dear."

He leaned down, and whispered in her ear. "But for now, it's pay-back time, sprite," he said, teasing her with his velvet voice. "You are delectable to me, like a sweet fruit that I can never get enough of. I want to spread you before me like a banquet to be enjoyed ever so slowly, one delicious bite at a time. I want to breathe you in until I am intoxicated by your scent. I want to devour you, to lick and nibble and taste and savor your luscious essence over and over until I've had my fill." He continued on and on, telling her in graphic detail all the things he wanted to do with her, and to her, and for her, until she was ready to come just from the images he was painting in her brain, all the while touching her—worshiping her with his words and his hands and his lips and his body.

"Please, Severus, please... I need you so much," she begged.

They barely managed to get out of bed and down to the potions lab by late morning. At this rate they were never going to finish their work projects by deadline, and yet somehow, he didn't give a damn. It was possible that they'd discovered a cure for her morning sickness, though.

* * *

Harry arrived three days later with information about the Lust Potion. "I talked to Pansy. She was reluctant to tell me anything at first. I think she was afraid I was going to send her to Azkaban, or something." Harry looked at Hermione with a grin. "As if you'd ever let me do that. You're like a mother bear protecting her young when it comes to your friends. I remember the beetle in a jar episode. Anyhow, once I explained our theory about the cause of your memory loss she was more than willing to help."

"So what did you find out?" asked Hermione. She set a wine glass before Harry, filled with a deep rich red elf-made Merlot.

When Hermione's first turn to cook dinner had produced nothing but rather badly charred grilled cheese sandwiches, Severus had quickly volunteered to do the cooking. After all, he had said, he was the better cook and he actually enjoyed doing it, whereas she did not. So he managed the main dish and Hermione provided manual labor, fetching things, doing prep work, and occasionally making a side dish that Severus deemed safe for her to prepare—in other words, something hard to mess up. Since Severus had informed her that her magic protected the baby from any negative effects from alcohol, she had no qualms about having a glass of wine while they worked together. Harry had arrived just as they were starting and Hermione had invited him to stay for dinner, but informed him that he'd have to help with the prep while he told them what he'd learned.

"You're going to make me work for my dinner? Is that how you treat a guest around here?" he'd teased.

"A guest?" asked Severus in mock surprise. "And here I thought you were family."

"Why, Severus, I do believe that's nicest thing you've ever said to me," replied Harry with a cheeky grin. "Thanks, mate."

Severus rolled his eyes and handed each of them a knife and a cutting board. Hermione quickly grabbed a dish containing carrots and slid the one with the onions over to Harry. Giving Hermione a suspicious look, he protested, "Onions? I think I've been set up." This drew a quick bark of laughter from Severus. After asking how Severus wanted them done, Harry proceeded to peel and chop the onions efficiently, first applying a Bubblehead Charm. Since it was hard to talk with the charm in place they had to wait until he was done to hear what he had learned about the potion.

"Pansy bought the potion in France while she was visiting her cousin there. It turns out it was brewed by a licensed Potioneer, one Henri Colbert, who owns and runs a small Apothecary in Poitiers. I checked him out and it looks like he's running a legitimate business. Unlike here in Britain, mild Lust Potions are legal in France, so he wasn't breaking any laws by selling it to her. Pansy could get in trouble for smuggling it into the country, but as long as neither you nor George file a complaint, she doesn't have anything to worry about."

"So if this man is competent at his job, we can assume the potion was brewed correctly," said Severus, sliding the onions into the pan to begin sauteing them.

"Maybe it was expired," said Hermione.

Harry reached into the pocket of his cloak and pulled out a small, horrifyingly pink vial emblazoned with lurid purple hearts, and set it on the counter with a flourish. "Nope. Pansy gave me what she had left. She's sorry she ever tried it since it's caused you so much trouble and apparently she didn't need it to capture George's attention anyway. The expiry date is still months away."

Hermione snatched up the vial to look at the label. The date was clearly marked, but her French was a little rusty so it took her a minute to find what she was looking for. Finally she handed it to Severus with a small smile. He set down the wooden spoon he'd been using to stir their dinner and took it from her to examine it.

"What?" asked Harry, realizing that she was pleased about something.

"It's a Luxure Enriché Potion, not a Luxure Génération Potion," she replied.

"Annnd... ?"

"Oh, sorry. Well, a Luxure Enriché Potion is a lust enhancing potion, whereas a Luxure Génération Potion is a lust generating potion," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything.

Harry still looked clueless. "Annnd... ?" he repeated, quirking his eyebrows.

"Don't you see, Harry?" At his blank look she sighed. "Remember when I first told you two about the Lust Potion? Severus talked about how I might have reacted differently from George—since George was already highly attracted to Pansy he was only mildly affected by the potion. Depending on what type of Lust Potion it was, it could have different effects as well."

"I don't see what difference it makes, Hermione. It's still a Lust Potion."

"The difference is, Harry," explained Severus patiently, returning his attention to the contents of the pan on the stove, "the lust generating version would have created a false sense of attraction and made Hermione react to anyone at all, even someone she found repulsive. This version would have simply enhanced even a minor pre-existing attraction.""

"Oh, right," Harry said. "I get it now. So at least we have some peace of mind in knowing that whoever it was, it wasn't someone who creeped her out, like Sluggy or Stan Shunpike or someone like that."

"It's not much help in the long run as far as narrowing it down, though, is it?" replied Hermione glumly. "But, yes, at least now I won't have to imagine myself with those two, or any number of others. Still, most of the people there that night were old school mates and for the most part there aren't many that I find truly repellent, and many I may have had a daydream or two about back at Hogwarts. The Enriché Potion wouldn't require that I be in love with the other partner for it to work, or even feel a strong desire, merely that there was some level of attraction, however minor. It's a small consolation, but it's something at least."

Hermione's momentary satisfaction at learning the type of potion was entirely gone, and she now looked completely dejected. Before Harry could reach out to comfort her, Severus, seeming to sense the drop in her emotions, stepped around the counter and gathered her into his arms. Using a wandless charm, he reduced the flame under their dinner to low and reached behind Hermione to hand Harry the spoon. "Stir that, will you? I don't trust it not to scorch with a spell."

As Harry stirred, he covertly watched the other two, surprised by how close they seemed to have become in just the few days they'd been staying together. Severus held Hermione in his arms, occasionally stroking her hair and down her back. Hermione clung to him, not crying, but holding him as if he were a lifeline, trusting him to keep her safe, drawing strength from his touch. Severus murmured to her quietly, words Harry couldn't hear, but his tone spoke of comfort and reassurance. He suddenly felt like a voyeur, watching something intimate and private. He turned back to the stove to stir the sauce.

He was surprised to feel an ache in his chest. It wasn't that he was jealous, at least not in a romantic sense, but he and Hermione had been friends for so long they were like each other's family. It was difficult to see her turning to someone else for comfort. That was i_his/i_ job, or at least it had been for a very long time. It left Harry feeling bereft for a moment. Distracted, he was surprised when Severus retrieved the spoon from his fingers, and Hermione pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you so much, Harry, for tracking down that information. I know it's not much, but it's a start at least."

He squeezed her tight. "We'll figure it all out, love. We won't give up. Once we can get hold of another Pensieve, Pansy offered to let us use her memories, too, if it will help to figure out who might have slipped you the Anti-I. She said she'd check with George, also. He might have seen something the rest of us didn't."

Severus looked at him sternly. "You didn't reveal Hermione's condition, did you?" His look said Harry would be very sorry if he had.

"No. For Merlin's sake, Severus, give me some credit," Harry snapped. He and Hermione had been looking out for each other since they were both clueless firsties, did Snape really think he'd let her down like that? "Pansy knew about the memory loss because Hermione had already mentioned it to her. I also told her our suspicions about it being related to the combination of the Lust Potion and an Anti-Inhibition Potion. I had to, to convince her to talk to me about the Lust Potion." Harry reached for his wine glass and took a sip.

"All right, I suppose that makes sense," agreed Severus grudgingly.

"I should have contacted Pansy myself," worried Hermione. "Everything's been so topsy-turvy. I've just put it off."

Harry took a couple of left-over raw carrots out of the bowl to nibble on. "Pansy knows you well enough to figure out that you wouldn't take Anti-I by choice, so I had to tell her our theory that someone had slipped it in your drink earlier. She agrees that makes sense. She thought you were acting completely out-of-character, too, although at the time she just blamed it on the drinking and high spirits. She said she'd tried to call you but you were never home, so I hinted that we were concerned about the possibility of it being some sort of stalker and that I didn't want you staying at your flat alone. I'm sure she's convinced that you're staying at Grimmauld Place with me."

Severus eyed him with respect. "Well done. That witch never could keep gossip to herself. It will be all over London by tomorrow. No one will think to look for Hermione here."

"Severus!" cried Hermione, swatting his arm. "Pansy is one of my best friends."

"That she may be," he conceded, with a smirk, "but she's still the biggest gossip there is."

* * *

At the end of the evening, Severus stepped out to the lab to prepare things for to the next day's projects. He'd taken to doing this to get a head start on the schedule. Hermione had blushed brightly when he'd teased her about how odd it was that both of them seemed to be having trouble getting to work on time ever since she'd moved in.

This gave the two friends a chance to catch up on news—what Severus would have classified as 'gossip'. Harry let slip that he'd had dinner with Millie one night, a payback, for her help with the Pensieve. He dropped the information casually, but Hermione could sense he was testing the waters.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, smiling to herself. Harry seemed nervous about telling her, which meant that it was probably more than just an innocent dinner between co-workers. A date? Perhaps he was finally trying to get over his past love for Ginny.

"I like Millicent," she said carefully. "She's nothing at all like I thought when we were at school, but then of course neither is Pansy—or even Draco for that matter."

"I know. Millie's quiet and kind of slow thinking." Harry hesitated, realizing how that must sound. "Oh, I don't mean slow, like she's stupid. She's not at all, she's very smart, very intuitive. She just takes her time to think things through, reason things out, before she jumps in."

"I knew what you meant, Harry," Hermione reassured him with a smile, patting his arm. "She's patient, she doesn't jump to conclusions, which I'm sure makes her a good Auror. She doesn't lose her head." Hermione paused for moment, thinking about Millicent and what she knew about her. "She reminds me a lot of Neville, actually, steadfast and strong, unwavering, someone you can always count on. Then we have people like Pansy or... well, Ron, they're more impulsive. I'm not implying that they aren't good friends, because they are, but they tend to act without thinking sometimes. They come up with what they think is this marvelous idea without stopping to consider what the consequences might be. Like Pansy with the Lust Potion."

"Yeah, that's it exactly," agreed Harry with a smile. "I guess a lot of our impressions about people back at school, the Slytherins especially, were kind of skewed though. Like how we thought Snape was a big grumpy git."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, no, that one was true—he is all that and more. He's rude and caustic and sarcastic and he can be an all round bastard at times."

Harry looked shocked at her assessment. "But I... I thought you liked him?"

"I do, I really do. I... I like him a lot, Harry. All those things are just a very tiny part of who he really is, you know? He's also intelligent, and witty, and generous, and tender and so damn vulnerable sometimes it nearly breaks my heart. Like Millie, he's intuitive—maybe for him it's because of his ability at Legilimency, but sometimes he seems to know what I'm feeling even before I do."

Harry nodded, "Like before dinner, when he held you. He knew at that moment you needed comfort."

Hermione smiled, her eyes tearing up a little. She sniffled and glanced sideways at Harry, "Stupid, bloody hormones," she mumbled.

"Right—hormones." Harry smirked as he got up to leave. "Oh, about that Pensieve, it looks like I won't be able to 'borrow' it this weekend. We'll have to come up with something else."

"Don't worry about it. Severus says he can get one. He didn't say where, but I'm guessing from Lucius. Apparently he's been out of town on an extended business trip since a few weeks after Draco and Ginny's wedding, so Severus hasn't been able to ask."

"I don't know if it would help, but Pansy suggested something," said Harry, as he went toward the hearth. "I told her you'd been having dreams about that night, but because of the memory loss you couldn't remember them and it really bothered you. She said you should contact Luna. She's been working on a project involving dream recall. I know what happened wasn't really a dream, but you did think it was for a while." He gave Hermione a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek as he reached for the Floo Powder. "It's kind of a long shot, but maybe Luna can help."

"Thanks, Harry. I suppose it couldn't do any harm to check. I'll get a hold of Luna soon." Hermione waved as Harry stepped into the Floo and spun away.

* * *

Things got busy in the lab for the next couple of weeks as they had a deadline to meet and Hermione didn't have a chance to contact Luna. Even if the results of Luna's dream project worked, Hermione doubted it would help her since what she'd thought were snippets of a dream were actually snippets of reality.

The following Friday evening and the weekend finally arrived and surprisingly so did Luna. Hermione answered the door somewhat apprehensively. Severus was not known to play the gracious host and rarely had uninvited visitors, so as she opened the door she had her wand tucked in her hand out of sight.

"Luna?" She was surprised to see Luna standing there. She hadn't contacted her, and no one was supposed to know that she was staying at Severus' home, or even where it was, seeing as how it was Secret Kept.

"Hello, Hermione, I thought I'd find you here," said Luna with a smile. "I've come bearing gifts—well, food, actually. I know you and Severus both like Indian."

"Oh. Well... won't you come in?"

Luna shook her head and tsk'd. "Hermione, aren't you going to ask me a question? Something only you and I would know the answer to."

"I don't think that's really necessary, do you?" asked Hermione, puzzled.

"Oh, I think it is. I could be anyone, after all. I could be Professor Quirrel in disguise."

"Luna, I'm pretty sure he's dead." Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

"Well, I might be Peter Pettigrew."

"Ummm... he's dead too."

"Well damn it, Hermione." Luna wrinkled her nose, a sure sign she was getting frustrated. "Those were just examples. I could be someone bad, just trying to trick you into letting me in there. Go on now—ask me something. Make it good."

Hermione gave in. With Luna, that was often the easiest course. "Okay. Umm... lets' see." Hermione thought hard for a moment, trying to come up with something that would satisfy Luna. "Oh, I know: what color shoes did we wear to the Ministry's Christmas party the first year we worked there together?"

"That is a good one. Although, Pansy would know the answer to that one too, since we all showed up wearing red shoes." Luna looked at Hermione expectantly. "Well, aren't you going to let me in now?"

Shaking her head at her quirky friend, Hermione swung the door wide open. "Come in, Luna." Taking one of the bags from Luna, she ushered her in and then gave her a huge hug. "I didn't expect you, but I am very happy to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too," replied Luna. "I've been meaning to call you since I talked to Harry last week."

"But how did you know I was staying here?" asked Hermione. "Oh, wait—Harry! He shouldn't have told you, Luna. Severus is going to be very annoyed with him."

"Harry didn't tell me," responded Luna with a grin. "But you just did."

"What? Well, damn!"

"I just figured you'd still be at work since you never leave early and it's not quite five o'clock yet," Luna explained.

"But how did you find it? Severus' house is secret-kept."

"Oh, I've been here before. Severus and I worked together on one of my first projects when I came to the Department of Mysteries. That was several months before you started there. He'd just bought this house, then. I helped him move in, in fact."

"Lovegood?" Severus said in surprise as he entered the room. "Mmmm... Do I smell Indian food?"

Luna laughed. "Is it Friday in Alesbury?" she asked cryptically.

"Did you bring the naan?"

"Of course," Luna responded, her tone implying it was a stupid question.

"Then it must indeed be Friday in Aylesbury. Come, we'll set the table." He went back down the hallway toward the kitchen, and Luna followed him, chattering away.

Hermione stared after them, her mouth agape. What just happened here? And how exactly did Luna know that Severus liked Indian food?

Severus poked his head into the hallway from the kitchen. "Aren't you bringing the rest of the food in?" he asked.

Looking down, she noticed that she was still holding the bag she'd taken from Luna when she'd come through the door. She nodded dumbly.

"Good. Don't forget to shut the door while you're at it." He disappeared back into the kitchen.

Hermione turned and saw that the front door still stood wide open. She stepped over to shut and re-ward it. Looking back down the hallway to where Luna and Severus had disappeared, she shook her head and said aloud, "No, really. What just happened here?"

* * *

The evening passed for Hermione in a kind of disjointed blur. When she stepped into the kitchen Severus and Luna were setting out the dishes and opening the take away containers, chatting amiably like two friends who hadn't seen each other in a while.

Severus actually did have a dining room with a table, but at the moment it was covered with research notes and reference materials for a project he was working on, a half written article he planned to submit to the Potions journals. Hence they ate all their meals in the kitchen, which was fine with Hermione, and apparently with Luna as well. She seemed quite at home, and Hermione couldn't help but notice that Luna knew which drawer the silverware was in and where to find the napkins and that Severus preferred a glass of milk to pumpkin juice with his evening meal.

Hermione was mostly silent during dinner as the other two talked about their current work projects. Luna and Severus briefly explained to Hermione about the project they had worked on together several years ago and Severus told Luna about the project that he and Hermione had just finished. He also mentioned the article he was writing, which Luna seemed quite interested in, so Severus went into the dining room to make a copy of his draft for her, or at least what he had done so far.

When he stepped out, Luna asked, "Are you all right, Hermione? You seem very quiet tonight. Have the Spurgles stolen all your thoughts away?"

Hermione shook her head in confusion, looking up at her friend. "Spurgles? I thought they were called Nargles."

"Oh, they're not quite the same, although they do belong to the same family. Nargles live in mistletoe,

if you recall, and they're quite clever little thieves. Spurgles like to hang around herb gardens; they especially love basil, but oregano or thyme attracts them, too," explained Luna. She looked around the room, carefully examining the corners as if she might spot a few of the little darlings. "They'll steal the thoughts out of your head and the words out of your mouth. I imagine that Severus has quite an extensive Potions garden here, so there are probably more than a few of them around the place."

Hermione stared at her blankly for a moment, and then rubbed her fingers over her forehead as if warding off an oncoming headache. She never quite knew how to take Luna. Many of the things she said made her seem silly at best and totally mad at worst. Still, Hermione knew that there was more to Luna than the wacky persona she projected, and some of her projects at the DoM had yielded brilliant results.

"Harry said that Pansy suggested I should ask you about your research into dream recall," she said, deciding to ignore the question of Nargles and Spurgles for the moment. "I've been having some memory issues, you see, and they think your research might help me." Hermione looked at her hopefully. "I'm not entirely convinced they're right, though. Not that I doubt your work, but it turns out what I first thought were dreams are actually snippets of real memories, so it probably wouldn't apply. What do you think, Luna?"

Luna twirled a lock of her long hair around her finger and stared off into space as she considered Hermione's question before turning back to her with an answer. "While I can't guarantee anything, Hermione, I'm not sure it makes a difference. The dream recall charm is designed to draw forth dream memories that are deeply buried in your subconscious, so there's every possibility it might work on real memory issues as well. Oh my, this could open a whole new range of applications for this charm. This is wonderful." Luna smiled widely, very pleased at the thought.

"Can you teach me the charm?" she asked. "Or are you not allowed to share it yet?"

"Oh no, it's fine. I've received the go-ahead to start working with it outside of the lab. Here, let me write it down for you and then I'll show you the wand movements." Luna went right to the drawer where Severus kept a pile of scrap parchment and a quick-inking quill. She quickly wrote the charm and diagrammed the wand movements. "Now, you need to be focused while casting it. Concentrate on what it is you most want to recall. It works best if you're totally relaxed when you attempt it. I'd suggest you try it right after a really satisfying round of sex. That would be the perfect time."

Hermione's head snapped up and she stared at Luna in disbelief. Had she heard her right? "What did you say?"

"Right after sex," Luna said matter-of-factly. "I don't know about you, but as for myself, right after sex—really good sex that is—I'm so relaxed I feel like all my bones have melted and I could float away on a cloud. And how convenient for you that you're staying here with Severus. I'm sure he can help you with that," Luna added reassuringly.

* * *

After Luna left Severus insisted on helping put the kitchen to rights, even though Hermione told him she'd do it herself. She'd seemed, he thought, oddly quiet tonight. He wanted to ask her something but was nervous, unsure if this was the right time. There might never be a _right_ time but he decided he'd better do it soon. Before broaching the subject he had in mind, though, he wanted to find out what was causing her somber mood.

"You were awfully quiet tonight. I'd have thought you'd be happy to get a visit from one of your friends. Yet you hardly spoke unless we dragged you into the conversation. Is something wrong?" he asked, watching her reaction carefully.

She didn't say anything right away, seeming to consider his question. Finally, glancing at him from under her eyelashes., she said, "No, nothing's wrong. I guess I was just surprised to learn that you and Luna were such good friends. I thought I knew you both pretty well, but I never realized you were so chummy."

"Well, it isn't as though we're best mates who go out to the pub every weekend or something. But when we were thrown together through our work, we got to know each other fairly well. I learned that behind that strange, slightly mad exterior lies an intelligent, perceptive, and caring person." Severus paused, unsure how much to reveal. "Back then, when Lovegood was thrown into my life, I still kept myself very isolated. I had little to do with anyone in the outside world and I basically just did my job and kept to myself. Then she burst in and shoved her way into my life and somehow managed to pull me out of my dark little hole. I am... grateful to her for that. As I said, we don't get together often now, but I do consider her one of my few friends."

"Is there some reason you felt the need to keep all this a secret?"

Severus frowned at her sharp tone, not sure where she was going with this line of questioning. "Not particularly, but neither was there any call to broadcast it to the world either."

"Did you sleep with her?" Hermione asked, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide with dismay. She obviously hadn't meant to say that aloud.

With his arms crossed over his chest, he gave her a dark look. "That, my dear, is none of your business."

She collapsed weakly into the kitchen chair, an expression of guilty apology on her face. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Severus, I'm so sorry—we agreed to leave the past in the past, and I have no business asking you about Luna or anyone else."

Realization dawned. "You're jealous!"

Hermione looked shocked. "Jealous? No, don't be silly, of course I'm not. That is... I have no hold over you, no right to be... Oh, gods...maybe I am," she admitted staring at the floor in defeat.

He came and stood before her, looking down at the top of her head. He was torn between disbelief that she was jealous of Luna and delight at the idea that she felt so possessive of him. He crouched down to lift her chin so he could meet her gaze. "Hermione, I consider Luna a good friend, nothing more. Besides," he added in an attempt at humor, "do you really think someone like Luna would be attracted to me, of all people?"

She looked at him as if he'd gone mad. "Of course she would, you idiot. I'm attracted to you, aren't I? Why wouldn't Luna be? Or any number of women for that matter, lots of women, in fact."

Her declaration, and the passionate tone in which it was made, shocked Severus. "I'm not an attractive man," he stated bluntly. "Not a nice man."

Hermione reached out and cupped his face in her hands, running one thumb over his cheek. "Dear gods, Severus, I can't believe you. You're one of the most desirable men I've ever known. You're like sex on a stick. You do know that, right?" She leaned forward and kissed him softly. "Or are you just fishing for compliments?"

His knees began to complain from crouching for so long, so he dropped them to the floor and knelt before her. Wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead against hers, he murmured, "I'm beginning to think that you are just as mad as Luna, love. I have been wanting to ask you something, and perhaps now is a good time. While you're delusional."

Hermione laughed and held him close. "Ask away. I can always plead insanity later."

Severus pushed her back far enough that he could to look into her eyes and took her hands in his. "Will you be mine?"

Hermione's brows drew together in a frown. "I don't understand the question. I thought it was understood already that while we're together we'd be exclusive."

Shaking his head, he continued with a chuckle, "That's not what I meant at all, you daft woman. I'm asking you to marry me." From his pocket he produced a small velvet jewelers box that he had retrieved from his vault at Gringotts for the occasion.

Hermione stared at him, speechless for a full minute. "Did you just propose to me?"

"Not exactly the response I was hoping for," responded Severus. "Yes, I did."

"But... why?"

"Once again, not the level of enthusiasm I'd hoped for," he said, beginning to feel worried.

Hermione's brow furrowed and she looked at him blankly.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about it," he went on, hoping that if he explained himself she would stop staring and answer him. "It is the logical solution to so many problems. You're already living here so it would be convenient to make it official. With the baby coming, if we were married, people wouldn't have any cause to judge you or treat the child harshly. And if someone i_is/i_ stalking you, then having the permanent protection of a husband, who is a former Death Eater at that, might be enough to discourage his attentions. We've both agreed that we want to try to make this situation work..." he trailed off. This was not going to end well. He just knew it.

Hermione bit her lips and looked directly into his eyes. "So let me make sure if I have it straight. You want to marry me because it's logical, it's convenient, it will prevent gossip about the baby, and it will protect me."

"Yes, that's it exactly." Even as he spoke, he wanted to take it back.

With a heavy sigh and a look of disappointment she shook her head. "Wrong answer, Severus." She stood and walked out of the room without another word.

Severus looked around and realized he was still kneeling on the kitchen floor. "That definitely didn't go at all as I'd hoped," he muttered.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

AN:

I would like to offer my unending gratitude to my lovely alpha-reader/cheerleader: Morethansirius, beta-reader extraordinaire: Delphipsmith, and brit-picker/cheerleader/back-up beta: Talesofsnape. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dears! I can't say it enough, you three are totally awesome. And a special thanks in this chapter to scoffy (sc010f) for her help with the Latin for the S_omnium Memoriae_ spell.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

* * *

Severus stared at the doorway through which Hermione had just exited as he climbed wearily to his feet. He was quite certain that he'd fucked that up royally, but he wasn't entirely sure how. On his way to the sitting room to pour himself a shot of whisky, he stopped briefly at the bottom of the stairs. He considered going up to talk to her, to try to make things right, but he decided he really needed that drink first to bolster his courage.

If one drink was good, two were even better, right? By that logic three or five or seven would be excellent. Before he knew it the bottle was empty and he was on his knees before the Floo, trying to speak coherently enough to put through a call. "Potter? Potter... you there?" He waited a few seconds, listening closely. He could hear noises in the background; he was sure the little bastard was home and just ignoring him. "Potter...Harry?" He waited again, briefly. "If you're there... I need yer help. 'S Hermione... Please."

Within an instant Harry was on the other end leaning into the fire. "What's happened? Is Hermione all right? Is it the b—"

"No, 's nothing like that, she's fine—physically at least," muttered Severus. Dear Merlin, the last thing he wanted to do was turn to Harry Potter for help, but better that than risk cocking this up any worse than he had already. "You know Hermione better'n anyone. 'S much as it pains me to ask, I need your help," he slurred.

Harry turned away from the Floo and Severus heard him mutter something, then he turned back and ordered sharply, "Come through."

Severus stumbled stepping out of the Floo and Harry reached out to steady him, at the same time catching a whiff of his former teacher. "Merlins's balls, Severus, how much have you had to drink?" he swore, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Jus' one er two... a few maybe... I don't bloody know. Seemed like a jolly good idea at the time," replied Severus wearily, sinking to sit on the sofa.

"Was this before or after whatever happened with Hermione?" asked Harry.

"After—I considered going upstairs to talk to her, but I thought it was a better idea to have a lil' drink firs' to clear my head."

"Damn, then we can't blame whatever stupid thing you've done on the drink." said another voice.

Severus leaped to his feet, wand pointed unsteadily into the shadows next to the fireplace. He couldn't believe his defenses had been so low he hadn't even registered someone else in the room. "Bulstrode! What the fuck are you doing here?"

"Don't answer that, Millie," cautioned Harry as he stepped between Severus' wand and her. "Severus, Millie's my friend and has just as much right to be here as you, probably more since she was actually invited tonight. So if you want my help, don't even think of insulting her."

Severus nodded curtly and taking a deep breath, he pulled himself together before he responded. "My apologies, Miss Bulstrode. I hadn't realized anyone else was here and was startled by your presence."

Millicent acknowledged her former head of house with a small smile. "It's all right professor, I probably spoke out of turn. I'm sure it wasn't my advice you came here to seek." She stepped toward Harry and touched his hand gently, "I should go, Harry. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"We weren't done discussing what we were discussing," Harry said softly.

Looking Harry in the eye, Millie squeezed his hand and gave a slight shake of her head. Turning to go, she stopped for one final comment to Severus. "Even though you didn't ask for my advice, you're going to get it anyway. Mainly because you were my head of house and I always respected you and still do, and I know you aren't nearly as bad as you'd like everyone to think you are. Plus, I think Granger's all right, and she's probably one of the few witches I know who has any chance in hell of keeping you in line. I expect that you've done something typically male—in other words, idiotic. Figure out what it was you said or did that started this whole drama, then go home and make it right. I'm sure you'll be able to manage; even though you're a man, you're not completely stupid."

Without waiting for a response she grabbed some Floo powder and disappeared in a swirl of green flames.

"Sounds like good advice to me," said Harry, looking at Severus. "So, what happened?"

"Remember when I told you that I hoped at some point to convince Hermione to make our living arrangements more permanent?"

Harry's jaw dropped. "Things _are_ moving fast. You proposed?"

Severus nodded, "Yes... I... Well, more or less."

Harry rolled his eyes. "More or less—oh, good Godric! I have a bad feeling about this already. What did Hermione say?"

"She wanted to know _why_?"

Harry nodded and prompted, "And that's when you answered, 'Because I love you, Hermione, and I can't live without you.' Right?"

Severus swallowed, his eyes shifting guiltily. "Err... not exactly. I think I said something along the lines that it was the logical thing to do, since we're already staying together it would be convenient for her to move in permanently, plus it would prevent gossip about the baby, and might deter any potential stalker."

Harry moaned and cradled his head in his hands. "Oh my gods, this is even worse than I thought."

"I've botched it up, I admit it. But there must be some way to salvage the situation. You know Hermione better than anyone, what do I do now? Think, Potter. "

Harry did just that. He thought about it carefully. He paced from one side of the room to the other as Severus sat silently, nervously, watching him.

Finally he stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Severus.

"What?" asked Severus. "Do you have a plan?"

Harry nodded. "You take Millie's advice and you make it right. Go home and tell Hermione the truth. And then you beg—a lot."

"The truth? The _truth_? That's your brilliant plan?" Severus shouted, practically frothing at the mouth. "Do I look like a Gryffindor to you?"

"Yes, that's my brilliant plan," said Harry. "You can't Slytherin your way out of this, Severus, no matter how hard you try. If you want her, you have to tell her how you feel." Harry paused, his eyes narrowed, and looked at the other man closely, as if suddenly doubting Severus' sincerity. "You _do_ love her, right?"

* * *

Severus arrived home and stood at the foot of the stairs, staring up, in just the same spot he'd been mere hours earlier. He was no longer under the influence of the fire whisky thanks to Harry scrounging a dose of Sober Up Potion for him. He and the boy-who-lived-to-be-a-huge-pain-in-the-arse, had nearly come to hexes when Harry had bluntly asked if Severus really did love Hermione and Severus had hesitated a few seconds too long. He did, although the realization had come as something of a surprise even to him, and yet, deep down it seemed like he'd known it all along. Still, it had galled him to admit it to Harry Potter first, before Hermione heard the words from his lips.

He had to give the little snot credit. Harry was as protective of her as any true brother would be and that was a good thing. Anyone who would protect Hermione would always be on Severus' good side.

He mounted the stairs, rehearsing in his mind what he would say to her. The truth—that was easy for Potter to say. Severus was far more adept at untruths, or at the very least, subtle shades of the truth. He had survived for years on lies and half truths, and only the ability to keep his emotions in check had kept him alive. Baring his heart and soul was not something that came easily to him, and yet he knew Harry was right. If he wanted Hermione to remain in his life permanently, he had to tell her.

He stood at the end of the hallway between the guest room and his... their room. It suddenly occurred to him that she might not be waiting for him in their bed; perhaps she'd moved all her things to the guest room. Almost afraid to look, he quietly turned the handle and poked his head into the guest room, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the room empty. His doubts returned in full force, seconds later, however, as he reached for his bedroom door. What if she wasn't here either? What if she'd packed up and left while he was at Potter's searching for answers? With no hesitancy now, he swung the door wide, determined that if she was gone he would track her down.

His fears proved unfounded when he stepped into the room. He saw her curled up in the bed, sound asleep. She'd left a low light burning on the dresser. A small bluebell flame, captured in a jar just for him, to light his way in the dark. His sprite. Even though she'd been disappointed in him, hurt by his response to her 'why?', she hadn't tried to shut him out. What a lucky fucking bastard he was to have her and he was determined to show her how much she meant to him. He'd tell her every day for the rest of his life if that's what it took to keep her.

He quickly disrobed and slipped in behind her, gathering her in his arms. "Hermione?" he whispered in her ear.

She stirred and turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling into his chest like a warm, sleepy kitten. "Severus, you're back," she mumbled, then yawned. "I went downstairs to find you, but you were gone. I was worried."

He held her close, one hand stroking slowly up and down her back. He pulled back to look into her face as he explained, "I needed to think. I went to talk to Harry. I realize now what an idiot I was... Hermione, those reasons I gave for asking you to marry me were excuses for me to avoid facing the truth. The truth is I want you to marry me because I lo..."

"No!" she gasped, wide awake suddenly, covering his mouth with her hand. "Don't, Severus, I don't want you to say it just because that's what you think I want to hear. If that's the case, it's meaningless."

"Oh, sprite, my silly girl." he said, kissing her palm as he pulled her hand away from his mouth. "Do you really think I'd say anything I didn't mean just to placate you? I'm not a kind man, not a man prone to soft words and sharing my feelings. When I asked you earlier if you would marry me, at the time I really was thinking that all those stupid things I said made sense. But that was only because I wouldn't let myself think about the real reason. I've been attracted to you for longer than you know, but I didn't dare let myself hope you might feel the same way."

Hermione slid her arms up to twine around his neck, the fingers of one hand threaded through his hair, maneuvering his head down so she could kiss him. Then pulling back far enough so that she could see him, she said, "Severus, you big dolt, in spite of how it might look with the baby and everything, I don't normally fall into bed with every man I meet. Of course I'm attracted to you, I have been for months. It's become much more than attraction, though... I've fallen in love with you."

"Why are you allowed to say it but I'm not?" he said with a slight chuckle.

"You are allowed, now that I know you're not saying it just because you think it's what I want to hear." She frowned. "Well, it is what I want to hear, of course, but only if it's true. Obviously I wouldn't want you to feel pressured into saying it either. But then if..."

Severus put two fingers over her lips, stilling her words. "I love you, sprite."

"Oh, Severus." Dropping her head to his chest, she shuddered slightly.

"Are you crying again?" he asked.

"I can't help it, it's the fucking hormones."

"Of course it is, my dear, of course it is." He gently kissed the top of her head. "So, are you going to marry me, or not?"

"I bloody well am, and you aren't getting out of it now, no matter how hard you squirm," she teased. "So don't even think about it." She leaned up to capture his lips as she pressed her body tightly to his.

Severus kissed her soundly before rolling to his back, pulling her on top of him. Pushing against his chest until she was upright, astride his hips, she gazed down at him lovingly. Her fingertips grazed lightly over his skin, possessively mapping the contours of his chest, the scraping of her nails over his nipples causing a shiver to run down his spine. "I don't want out of it. You're stuck with me now, witch. Forever," Severus informed her, his voice husky, as he slowly ran his hands up her arms and down before reaching to gather the hem of her nightie and slide it up and off. She raised her arms to help him, then let them drop to her side.

His eyes caressed her in the low light of the bluebell flames and he reached out to touch her. Cupping her breasts, weighing them in his hands, Severus rubbed his thumbs simultaneously across both nipples and watched them tighten. He repeated the motion over and over until they became hard little puckered knots of pleasure. Hermione moaned, her head falling back, her mouth slack as she arched forward pushing her breasts toward him like an offering. He scooted back slightly, propping his back against the pillows, and pulled her down close enough to use his mouth on her tits. The little whimpering, moaning noises she made fired his lust and he rolled again to put her under him. Hermione tried to touch him but he grabbed her hands and held them above her head, resting against the headboard. "No, keep them here. Don't move them," he ordered gruffly.

"But I want to touch you too," she complained, pulling one hand loose she reached down to brush the back of her fingers against his cock.

"Stop it, you minx. You'll get your chance, but not this time," he said, with an evil little smirk quirking up the corner of his mouth. "Right now your touch is too distracting. I want all of my attention to be on you. I want to touch you, love you, worship you. I want to show you just how much you mean to me—how much I need you." He firmly moved her hands back above her head. "Now, you will keep your hands there or I will find a way to secure them so that I may have my wicked way with you uninterrupted." His words sent a shudder through her body and with a sigh of surrender she lay back and yielded to his desires.

* * *

Hermione felt boneless. She was languid and limp and thoroughly satiated. She blushed to think of all the things Severus had done to her, and she had loved every single second of it.

When she couldn't stop herself from reaching for him in spite of his admonitions not to move her hands, the bastard had actually tied them to the bedposts, just as he'd threatened, and then told her she'd best not kick him or she'd find her feet tied too. After that, she'd been extra careful.

He'd taken her to the very brink of orgasm several times until she was pleading for release, then he'd given her everything she begged for and more. He'd worshiped her from head to toe, making her come again and again, before finally taking her with a fierce passion that threatened to consume them both. Then, later, after he'd released her bonds, he'd held her in his arms and whispered words of devotion and had made slow tender love to her before gathering her close until she fell asleep in his embrace.

Hermione had just awakened when she felt Severus getting out of bed. She groaned aloud, "Is it morning already?"

With a self-satisfied chuckle he bent to brush a kiss across her cheek. "Yes, it is, sprite. But since I kept you awake half the night, why don't you have a bit of a lie-in? I'll fix breakfast and call you when it's ready."

"Oh, gods. You're a saint," she muttered, rolling over and tucking her arm under the pillow. "I promise to return the favor very soon."

Even though she tried, she couldn't go back to sleep immediately. As she lay there listening to Severus in the shower she thought of Luna's advice to use the Dream Memory Spell when she was totally relaxed. She couldn't imagine ever being more relaxed than she was right now, so she reached for her wand on the bedside table. She practiced the wand movements a couple of times until she felt confident, then she concentrated on that night and cast the spell, "S_omnium Memoriae_," in the air above her. Luna had suggested that she locate the spell just above, rather than aiming her wand at herself. As she lay in the bed she could feel the tiny specks of spell particles landing on her like light misty raindrops.

Within seconds she was so sound asleep that she didn't even hear Severus when he came out of the bathroom and headed downstairs to start breakfast.

Rather than call her down when the food was ready, Severus fixed a tray and brought her breakfast in bed. Nothing too heavy or greasy: poached eggs and toast, a small dish of fresh fruit and a pot of tea. Severus sat on the edge of the bed and helped Hermione get herself and the tray situated. "You'd best not expect such service on a regular basis," he admonished her with a teasing look. "But I was feeling solicitous this morning and wanted to spoil you a bit. I have some errands to run today, so I'll get the supplies for our new potions project while I'm out. Is there anything you need?"

Hermione thought for a moment before glancing up from beneath her lashes with a shake of her head. "I can't think of anything, Severus, thank you for asking. There's something I wanted to talk to Harry about, so if I'm not home when you get back I'll be over at Grimmauld Place."

"Severus," she called just as he went through the door. He turned back, one hand propped against the door frame, and she hesitated awkwardly before saying simply, "I love you."

"And I you, my dear," he responded before turning to go.

She didn't move until she heard the door close downstairs. She set the tray aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The carefully schooled smile faded as she buried her face in her hands. She took several deep breaths trying to calm herself. "It was just a dream... just a dream," she chanted, before choking back a sob. Her hands tightened into fists that she clenched to her stomach. "But what if it wasn't?"

Her stomach churned at the thought and before she knew it she was once again in the bathroom, on her knees, worshiping the porcelain gods.

* * *

In less than half an hour Hermione had showered and dressed and was kneeling before the Floo. "Harry? Are you there? Oh, please be there. Harry, I really need—"

"Hermione? Are you alright?" said Harry. His face appeared in the coals, looking concerned.

"Yes, but I really need to talk to you. I was going to come over but I'm not sure I can tolerate the Floo or Apparating. I've already thrown up once and I don't feel like doing it again. Could you come over here?"

"Sure, let me just wrap up something here and I'll be right over. I should be there in fifteen or twenty minutes, will that be good?"

"Of course, Harry, that's fine," agreed Hermione. "I'll have fresh pot of tea ready."

Hermione paced nervously while waiting for Harry, although true to his word he showed up on her doorstep a scant seventeen minutes later. Hermione hugged him hard. "I'm so glad you're here, thanks for coming over so quickly," she said, pulling him towards the kitchen where she poured him a cup.

Harry studied her closely. "So, did Severus cock up his apology last night?"

Hermione frowned, then recalled that Severus had said he'd gone to talk to Harry last night. "Oh, no. Not at all, everything went beautifully when he came home. It's just... I don't know if he's going to feel the same way after..." Hermione's voice faded and she buried her face in her hands, her elbows resting on the kitchen table. "Oh, Harry, I'm so scared," she mumbled into her hands.

Harry reached out to clasp Hermione's wrist, pulling her hand down so he could see her face. His hand slid down to twine in hers. "Tell me. Whatever it is, love, we'll figure it out."

Hermione, nodded and took a deep breath. "I used Luna's charm this morning. Severus was in the shower and I was still in bed. Luna seemed to think it might work on repressed memories as well as dreams, she was quite excited about the prospect actually. Anyway, I cast the spell and almost instantly fell back asleep. I dreamed of that night. Only now I'm not sure if it's a true memory of what happened, or just a dream."

"Did you remember who it was?" he asked.

"No, not exactly. In this dream or whatever it was, it was after the fact, and I couldn't see who he was. I was snuggled up tight to him, but I was so exhausted that I couldn't seem to open my eyes. Whether it was from the alcohol, the potions or just from being so thoroughly shagged, I'm not sure."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Go on."

"I heard a man's voice, a whisper, 'Granger—move, Granger.' Then I felt him nudge me like he was trying to push me away but I just snuggled closer. 'Merlin, I never pegged you for a cuddler,' he said. I felt another nudge, then he said sharply, 'Hermione!' I rolled onto my back, but I still couldn't summon the energy to open my eyes. I felt the bed shift and knew he was leaving. I wanted to wake up, I tried so hard and finally, just as the door was swinging shut I managed to open my eyes and saw..."

"What?" Harry practically shouted.

"It was just a flash before the door shut, but I saw black robes—an expensive cut for sure—and then... just a glimpse of...of platinum blond hair," Hermione finshed glumly.

Harry's mouth dropped open. "Malfoy? You think it was _Malfoy_?"

She hung her head. "If this was a true memory and not just a wild dream, then yes, I'm afraid it was." Thoroughly miserable, she wrung her hands and looked to him for answers. "How am I going to tell Severus, Harry? He was willing to claim this child and raise it as his own, but how is he going to feel now, when he finds out that the father is his best friend? A friend who knew how Severus felt about me all along?"

"But are you sure it was Lucius, Hermione?" asked Harry, gnawing on his thumbnail nervously.

"There's no mistaking that hair. It had to be Malfoy," she replied.

"I'm not saying it wasn't _a_ Malfoy, I'm asking if you're sure it was Lucius?"

Hermione's eyes grew round as she stared at Harry in disbelief. "Draco? You're suggesting that it could have been... No, that's not possible... Draco? He's married to Ginny."

"He wasn't then," Harry pointed out.

"But the wedding was only days away, and it was his stag night. He wouldn't... he couldn't have... could he?"

Harry swallowed hard and his eyes avoided hers. He stared at the ceiling for several seconds before he finally turned his gaze back to her. "Draco and I have worked together since we started at the Aurory, and he's been my partner for the past three years. Hell, even though we both pretend it's not true, he's one of my best friends. I know things and I'd never betray his trust, but I can't betray you either, love. The truth is, their wedding almost didn't happen, Hermione. He nearly called it off just that week before."

"What? Why?" asked Hermione.

"He found out Ginny cheated on him, more than once, actually, while she was playing for the Harpies. She begged him to forgive her, and go through with the wedding. To be honest, that night I'm not sure that he'd decided yet whether to go through with it or not."

"So you think he might have used me as what—some sort of revenge? To cheat on Ginny in retaliation. Dear gods, that's so cold, so calculating." The very thought made Hermione feel sick again. "I'd begun to think that Draco had changed, but maybe I've been wrong about him all along."

"Let's face it, you were the one girl he always wanted that he could never have. He mayight have decided it was his last chance."

Hermione looked at him as if he'd sprouted three heads. "Harry Potter, have you gone insane? Draco barely tolerates me now and he hated me back then."

Harry shook his head. "You really aren't that blind, are you?" At her blank look he went on, "What do little boys do when they really, really like a little girl, Hermione? Do they buy her candy and bring her flowers and treat her nice? No, they pull her pigtails and tease her and do all sorts of mean things to get her attention. I'm saying in the situation we were all in, Draco couldn't act on his feeling towards you, but he still couldn't resist trying to gain your attention in whatever way possible."

Hermione gave a manic, nervous giggle. "You're mad, Harry, truly mad." The giggles faded as quickly as they'd come and she slumped down in her chair. "I don't know which scenario is worse. Either one is a nightmare. How can I tell Severus that the baby's father is either his best friend or his godson? Good Godric, Harry, what am I going to do?"

Harry heaved a sigh and took Hermione's hand in his again. "Look, love, the way I see it you really only have two options here. One: you tell him the truth, or at least what you suspect to be the truth. And as it stands, at this point we really don't know anything for sure yet, do we?"

"I don't much care for option one," Hermione said wryly, "so, what might option two be?"

"You lie your fucking arse off," stated Harry emphatically.

"And what is it exactly, that you would be lying your arse off about?" came a smooth-as-silk voice from the kitchen doorway.

"Well, there goes option two," squeaked Hermione. Her heart sank to the very pit of her stomach where it settled heavily, like one of Hagrid's Sunday best rock cakes.

* * *

Severus swept into the room and stood before them, arms crossed, glaring like a basilisk. Harry jumped to his feet and stepped in front of Hermione protectively.

"I think it's time for you to go home," growled Severus.

"I'm not leaving if you're going to bully her," said Harry.

"Hah!" barked Severus, sharply. "As if anyone could bully, this one. I value my bits too much for that, and she'd surely hex them off before I had a chance for even a quick Expelliarmus."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I know how you work, Severus, having been on your bad side for years. You can bully people so subtly sometimes they don't even realize it until it's over, and they feel like total shite.""

"Harry, stop," said Hermione softly, her eyes locked on Severus' face. "It'll be all right—you can go. I need to talk to Severus about this privately."

The relief was clear on his face; he really didn't want to get in the middle of it all. "If you're sure?" At her nod he acquiesced. "All right then, but if you need me for anything, you call. I mean it, anything at all."

"I will. Thanks, Harry. Don't worry, I'm going to go with option one."

Harry smiled. "In spite of anything Ron might tell you, when in doubt, that's most likely your best bet." Giving Severus a slight nod, Harry departed.

Severus stood, arms still crossed, surveying her. Hermione just stared back at him, unsure where to start.

Finally he broke the stalemate. "And so what might 'option one' be?"

Hermione sighed. "Well, you already heard what option two was. Option one is the exact opposite. I'm going to tell you the truth."

Severus snorted in amusement.

"What's so funny?" asked Hermione, her expression perplexed.

"Perhaps Potter gives everyone the same advice. That's the exact same thing he told me last night: to come home and tell you the truth, tell you about my feelings."

Hermione smiled at him shyly. "Well, we both know how well that worked out, don't we?"

Severus nodded. "So, is there something you want to tell me?"

Hermione rose and took Severus' hand. "Let's go into the sitting room where we'll be more comfortable, I have a feeling this might take awhile."

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

AN:

I would like to offer my unending gratitude to my lovely alpha-reader/cheerleader: Morethansirius, beta-reader extraordinaire: Delphipsmith, and brit-picker/cheerleader/back-up beta: Talesofsnape. Thank you, thank you, thank you, my dears! I can't say it enough, you three are totally awesome.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

* * *

It was obvious that Hermione was extremely nervous about whatever it was she had to tell him. Knowing this, Severus tried to keep his reactions under control as she recounted her assumptions about the results of the Dream Memory Spell. He thought he was doing a good job until she reached the part about catching a glimpse of Malfoy leaving the room. When he felt her hand rest gently over his in a gesture of comfort, he realized both his hands were clenched tightly into fists.

She quickly went on to Harry's hypothesis that it might have been Draco rather than Lucius. This did not improve his mood. "Fuck!" he swore, half under his breath, as he stood to pace the room in frustration.

"I'm so sorry, Severus." Her words came to him softly, breaking into his whirling thoughts. He looked at her. There were no tears now, she simply looked defeated.

He pushed back the heavy coffee table so he could sit upon it directly before her with his knees bumping hers. He took both her hands in his and squeezed them gently. "Look at me, love," he said. When she raised her eyes to his he smiled encouragingly. "You have nothing to be sorry for. None of this is your doing. None of this is your fault. I am simply appalled—no enraged—on your behalf, that either of them might have used you so callously.

"I can almost understand the idea of Draco—"

"Understand?" she spluttered. "What—"

Making a soothing gesture, he hurried to explain. "I said understand, sprite, not condone. I do think Harry has a valid point, that Draco has always been drawn to you and unable to act on that attraction. That night, feeling betrayed by Miss Weasley and seeing how you were acting, he may have simply used you to sooth his own hurt feelings. I personally hope that he is not capable of doing something so callous as slipping you the Anti-Inhibition Potion himself. Perhaps he was unaware that your behavior was potion-induced and he merely took advantage of the situation. It's possible that he thought you wanted it to happen as much as he did."

Hermione sighed. "I suppose that is a possibility. It doesn't make me feel any better, but I can see how it might have happened that way." She pondered for a moment then speculated, "However, based on that tiny snippet of memory, deep down my gut tells me that it wasn't Draco there that night."

Severus' voice was hard. "If that is the case... if it was Lucius... Well, for him to use you in such a manner is unforgivable, just on basic principle alone. Not to mention that his knowing how I felt about you makes it a horrifying breach of our friendship."

"Unless..." speculated Hermione. "Unless he really _didn't_ realize how you felt. In that case he might have been looking upon it as a game, or a competition of some sort. Which, like the Draco scenario, doesn't ease my mind, but it might at least explain his actions."

"Not to my satisfaction," snapped Severus. "Lucius and I have been friends for a long time. I cannot conceive that he was unaware of my attraction to you."

Just then a tapping sounded at the window and they both turned to see a large eagle owl perched there. Severus hastened over to open the window, took the parchment tied to the bird's leg, and tossed it an owl treat—he knew from experience not to get his fingers too close to Apollo's sharp beak.

He read the missive then tossed it to Hermione. "Well, it appears we shall be able to get answers to our questions without having to track the perpetrator down in South America. Lucius has returned and received my messages requesting to borrow his Pensieve. He says he will stop by this evening and drop it off."

Hermione paled. "I don't know whether to be relieved or terrified."

* * *

Even though neither of them had much of an appetite, Severus insisted that she needed to eat something so they had an early dinner. Afterward, pleading exhaustion from both stress and lack of sleep the night before, Hermione went upstairs to have a nap. When she awoke, a quick glance told her she had slept for several hours, and it was dusk. She rose quickly and went to use the bathroom and freshen up. As she was shut the bathroom door on her way out, she heard voices downstairs and assumed Lucius had arrived.

Hermione hesitated at the top of the stairs, her stomach in a knot of nerves. Lucius looked up and seeing her there commented—rather smugly, she thought—"I see Draco was right and your lovely assistant has taken up residence. No need to thank me for my intervention between you two on Draco's stag night."

With a roar or rage, Severus lunged toward Lucius and pinned him to the wall. His forearm was jammed against Lucius' windpipe, effectively cutting off his breath and his wand stabbing into his friend's chest. "You fucking bastard, how dare you!"

Lucius struggled violently and attempted to gurgle a response. Hermione rushed down the stairs, unwilling to allow her fiancé to commit murder on her account, much though the victim might deserve it. "Severus, don't." Not even thinking to use her wand, she pulled desperately at his arm, trying to dislodge it from Malfoy's throat. "He's not worth going to Azakaban over. Please."

Hermione finally forced her way in between the two men and Severus allowed her to break his hold on Lucius. He turned away breathing hard and she wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against his back.

Lucius, remained standing, barely. Bracing his hands on his thighs, he bent over and sucked in several deep breaths, his normally pale face an unbecoming mottled shade of red. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he snarled. "Have you gone mad?"

Hermione whirled and her wand appeared from nowhere, pointed directly between Lucius' eyes. "You're the one who's mad. What you did to me was nothing short of rape."

Lucius' grey eyes widened in shock. He lifted his hands very slowly, palms outward, as if trying to calm a wild creature, and used just one finger to carefully push her wand aside. "Miss Gra... Hermione..." He substituted her first name as if that would somehow endear him to her. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

Severus, turned abruptly to face the friend he'd been trying to kill moments earlier. "Someone dosed her with an Anti-Inhibition Potion that night. Her actions were potion induced."

Lucius' mouth dropped open then snapped shut abruptly. "Ahhh... that would explain your strange behavior. I assure you, it was not my doing, nor did I have anything to do with any rape. What in Merlin's name is that about?"

"It was Draco, then, that took you upstairs that night," Severus said flatly, clearly disappointed in his godson.

Lucius goggled wide-eyed, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them. "Of course it wasn't Draco. What in Hades is wrong with you two, have you been breathing noxious potions fumes? You act as if you don't know what... " His face suddenly paled. He turned to Hermione, "You did tell him... tell me you told him. You must have, else how could you have ended up together?"

Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Tell you that I told him what? What am I supposed to have told him? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Lucius," Severus growled warningly. "What have you done?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! It was neither I nor Draco that took Hermione upstairs that night. It was you, you great git."

They both stared at him open mouthed, too shocked to speak. Severus recoverd first, his response a strangled shout, "I'm sure I would recall if I had spent the evening shagging the woman I'd been lusting after for months!"

Lucius responded with an ungracious snort. "Well, if you didn't shag her silly, you both must have been playing a rousing game of naked Quidditch up there, and she was obviously on the shirts team. By the time I arrived in search of you, all your clothes were scattered around the room, you were both sound asleep, and Hermione was wearing nothing but your t-shirt."

"The t-shirt!" Hermione gasped and without another word raced up the stairs to their bedroom. She pulled the drawer of the dresser out so far it fell to the floor with a crash, barely missing her toes. She began throwing nighties, bras, and knickers willy-nilly, until finally, there, all the way in the back corner of the drawer, she found the neatly folded t-shirt. Gathering it in her hands she buried her face in the soft, worn material and sniffed deeply. Dear gods, was it possible? It smelled like Severus! Why had she never noticed that before?

Hearing shouting from downstairs, Hermione dashed back down to find the two men on the verge of blows again. Severus was shouting something about Memory Charms and Lucius was saying something about his promise and a key. Hermione didn't care about any of that, she had to know for sure.

She grabbed Severus, jerking him around to face her and shoved the shirt into his face. "Severus, is this shirt yours?"

He took the shirt from her hands and shook it out with a snap, examining the front. "_Black Sabbath-Heaven & Hell World Tour 1980-1981._ My Black Sabbath shirt? I didn't even know it was missing. I got this at one of the last concerts on the tour. Do you remember, Lucius? We had tickets for my birthday, the concert was to be in Southhampton, but it got postponed until the end of the month. Then you managed to get tickets a week or so later to one of the dates in London."

"Yes, I remember. It was at the Hammersmith, I believe," Lucius said. "We ended up going to the rescheduled one in Southhampton too."

Hermione looked at them both in disbelief. "You two were—are—fans of heavy metal bands? Muggle bands?" Before either of them could answer she rushed on. "Severus, do you know what this means? The baby is yours!" And with a huge grin she threw her arms around him to hug him tightly.

"Baby?" Lucius collapsed weakly into a chair, a look of shock on his face. "There's going to be a baby?"

"Yes," said Severus. "And up until just a few minutes ago, we thought it was someone else's, most likely yours or Draco's." He sat on the sofa and drew Hermione down onto his lap, his arms wrapped around her and he buried his face in her hair, holding her as if he'd never let her go.

"Dear gods!" exclaimed Lucius.

The three of them sat motionless for a long moment, letting the tension drain from the aireach lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Hermione broke the silence. "So what happened?" she asked. "I overheard you yelling something about a Memory Charm."

Severus cast a disgruntled look at Lucius. "Apparently this idiot cast a Memory Charm on me, then spirited me out of the room under a Disillusionment charm. He keyed it so I wouldn't remember anything of the night unless you said something to me about cuddling."

Hermione looked puzzled. "I don't understand. Why would you do something like that?"

"I was simply keeping my promise and looking out for a friend," Lucius said defensively. "When we arrived that night and saw your little group in the club, Severus made me promise not to let him make a fool of himself over you. I knew that he'd been pining for you like a besotted sixth year. But you were acting so strangely that night, I didn't trust you. You flirted and came on to everyone there—even me, and frankly acted like quite a little tart. I was worried that you were just using him or that you planned to make him the butt of some kind of joke."

"I'd never do anything like that!" protested Hermione, outraged at the suggestion.

"So I had thought, before that night. After seeing the two of you dancing, all wrapped around each other like a couple of Giant Squids, I decided I'd best get Severus out of there before he did make a fool of himself. When you went to the loo, I suggested to him that we go home and he agreed. I went to tell Draco we were leaving, Sand when I returned Severus had disappeared. I assumed he'd gone home."

"But I hadn't?" asked Severus.

"Obviously not. You had apparently waited for Hermione outside the loo and then slipped her upstairs to the room Draco had reserved for us. I went home and you were nowhere to be seen so I immediately guessed you were together and came back looking for you."

"And you found us?" asked Hermione.

Lucius shuddered in exaggerated horror. "Sweet Salazar, yes. It was obvious you'd fucked each other senseless. As I said earlier, your clothes were scattered everywhere, the room reeked of sex, you were wearing Severus t-shirt inside out, and you both were absolutely dead to the world."

Hermione blushed and hid her face in embarrassment in the crook of Severus' neck.

"I've never seen Severus let his defenses down to the extent that someone could enter a room where he was sleeping without getting hexed. I decided in case you were planning something devious that I would get him out of there while you were asleep. I didn't Obliviate him, but I did cast a charm to suppress his memories of the night from just before he danced with you until I woke him up and told him it was time to go home. But I put a key in the charm, so that if you spoke a certain word to him about that night it would restore his memories. I specifically keyed the word 'cuddles'. If you were just using him for sex or to somehow humiliate him, I figured you would avoid discussing what happened that night, but if you were interested in pursuing a real relationship you would most likely come and talk to him. At that point you would be compelled to use the trigger word which would unlock Severus' memory."

"And I didn't, so he never remembered," whispered Hermione, sadly. "Oh, Severus..."

"It's not your fault, sprite. There's no way you could have told me."

Lucius frowned. "I don't understand. It's clear that you do care for Severus. Why didn't you speak to him about what happened that night?"

"Because I have no memory of that night either," said Hermione.

"What? Impossible. I did not botch up that charm!" said Lucius emphatically. "I cast it only on Severus. There is no way it could have leeched over onto you."

"Lucius, calm down. It wasn't your charm that did it. Hermione's memory loss was from a totally different cause," said Severus.

"What cause?"

"Remember I said earlier that we believe someone slipped a dose of Anti-I into Hermione's drink at some point?" At Lucius' nod, Severus continued. "Anti-I is a fairly harmless potion when taken by itself, merely causing a person to lose all their normal inhibitions. There have been studies, however, indicating that when mixed with alcohol and combined with a Lust Potion it can have the serious side effect of short-term memory loss."

"A Lust Potion?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Really, Miss Granger, I would hardly have expected you of all people to be taking Lust Potions. Perhaps the only person I'd expect it from less would be Severus."

"I didn't do it intentionally," she said crossly. "Pansy had a huge crush on George Weasley and wanted to hedge her bets by dosing him with a Lust Potion. She hadn't told any of us about her plan or we would have tried to stop her. I didn't learn what she'd done until much later."

"Ah," Lucius said. "Miss Parkinson. Now that does not surprise me at all."

"When I came back to the table after dancing with you, I grabbed the closest glass and took a huge drink. It was George's drink, I had no idea it was laced with Lust Potion. I remember the first part of the dance with Severus, but after that everything is a blank, I remembered nothing until I woke up the next morning with... errm... well, nothing except for a few flashes of wild crazy sex. I couldn't recall who my partner was, though. It was very disconcerting. I managed to convince myself that it was all just a dream."

"And," said Severus picking up the story, "thinking it all a dream, Hermione tried to simply put it behind her and forget about it. Until that is, she started having symptoms and realized she was pregnant. When she decided to keep the baby, it became imperative that she find out who the father was. We assumed, wrongly so, that whoever had slipped her the potion had done so with the intent to seduce her. We were worried that whoever this was might be stalking her..."

"We?" questioned Lucius. "Who is we? You and Hermione, or someone else?"

"Potter," admitted Severus. "Naturally, she went to him for help as soon as she realized."

Hermione was grateful that Severus had downplayed Harry's involvement and not revealed that she had briefly believed Harry to be the baby's father. Needing to stretch a bit, she scooted off Severus' lap to sit beside him on the sofa.

We convinced her to move in here for her own protection and one thing led to another and, well, we've become involved." He rested his hand on Hermione's knee and patted her affectionately. "Still, we have continued to work on finding out who gave her the potion, believing that person to be the baby's father."

"Hence your need for my Pensieve," said Lucius.

"Yes. We'd planned to review memories of that night, in an attempt to learn who had put the potion into her drink."

Hermione slipped her hand into Severus' and twined her fingers through his. Lucius couldn't help but notice the mutual signs of affection between the two, as well as the ring on Hermione's finger and smiled to himself.

"But what in all Hades, made you think it was me? Or Draco?"

"Earlier today, I recalled a snippet of a memory, I was of seeing someone leaving the room that night. A tall man dressed in expensive robes and a flash of platinum blond hair. Our natural assumption was that it was either you or Draco. Personally, I believed it was you."

Lucius sighed and rubbed his hand across his face, his fingers covering his mouth for a moment as he gazed at them wearily. "Of course, it was me. I had Disillusioned Severus to protect him if we were seen leaving the room, but I didn't bother hiding myself." He shook his head. "I am very sorry that you had to go through all of this when I could have easily given you the answers. Well, most of them, anyway—I have no idea who may have slipped Hermione the the Anti-Inhibition Potion, or why. I hadn't planned to be gone so long, you see, but my business trip was delayed due to Draco and Ginevra's wedding, then there were complications in South America, and then... Well suffice it to say that I wish I'd been more diligent in keeping in contact with Severus and perhaps I would have figured it all out before now."

"I can see that you were trying to protect Severus," Hermione said softly. "Although I swear to you I would never use him or hurt him in such a way, I can see why you would have thought so from my actions that night."

Severus frowned. "I agree with Hermione that your intentions were true, and I will forgive you _this_ time. A caveat, however, Lucius, for future reference: should ever try to tamper with my memory or that of anyone in my family's, I will make very sure you regret it."

"Point taken, my friend, point taken," replied Lucius. "I must say, although it's been a harrowing journey for you two, at least there is a happy ending. Considering the fact that Hermione could have chosen not to keep the child, it could have ended quite tragically."

Hermione gasped and her hands closed protectively across her belly. "Dear Merlin, I did consider it."

Severus placed his hand over hers comfortingly and said, "But you didn't, sprite. You opted to keep the baby, just as I chose to claim him, not knowing that I was laying claim to my own child."

Lucius smirked. "It seems that the fates were hard at work to bring you two together."

"Yes," agreed Severus. "I am still worried about the identity of whoever drugged Hermione that night, though. I won't feel at ease until we figure that out."

Just then the Floo flared to life and Harry called out, "Hermione, are you there?"

Hermione rose and went to kneel at the hearth as Severus and Lucius continued to talk in low tones behind her. "Hi, Harry. I have good news."

"So do I. Can you come through so we can talk? Umm... and could you come alone, without Severus?" Hermione frowned. She glanced back over her shoulder and, seeing Severus deep in conversation with Lucius decided that whatever Harry had to tell her she could easily relay to Severus later. "Sure. Just let me tell him where I'm going."

* * *

A few moments later Harry greeted her as she stepped through into his living room. "Hermione, I'm so glad you came," he said, giving her a quick hug and leading her to a chair. "You'd better sit down. I've learned who it was who spiked your drink that night."

Hermione sat down rather abruptly, feeling shocked and a little apprehensive. "You have? Who was it? Have you taken him into custody? Has he been charged?"

"Not yet, but I give you my word that I will, if that's what you want."

"_If_?" she cried. "After everything I've been through, of course I want whoever it was to be punished."

Harry nodded and Hermione couldn't help but notice that he seemed sad. "I promise to carry out whatever you think is just. But before that happens, he wants to speak to you."

"Harry, no!" she exclaimed. "I don't want to meet whoever it is! I don't... Oh, gods. It's someone I know isn't I?"

Harry nodded grimly and called out to someone in the hallway. "You'd better come in now."

Hermione sprang to her feet, facing the doorway, only to collapse back into chair in disbelief when she saw who it was. "Ron?"

He rushed to her side and threw himself at her feet. "Hermione, please forgive me. Please! I am so sorry," he begged as he grabbed her hands, kissing her fingers in supplication.

Hermione snatched her hands away from him and stared in shocked horror. The pain of betrayal brought a heavy ache to her chest and for a moment she couldn't draw breathe. As the reality sunk in, a sudden fury overwhelmed her. She slapped him hard, then shoved him away from her.

She saw Harry flinch, but he didn't interfere, though he kept his wand at hand in case the situation escalated.

Ron rubbed his hand over his stinging cheek. "I deserve that, and more. I know I do."

"How dare you?" she cried. "How could you do something like this to me, Ron?"

"I'm so sorry, Hermione. It was a joke, that's all. It wasn't meant to be malicious or bring you harm, it was just a stupid, stupid joke." Ron stayed on his knees before her, his eyes bright with unshed tears.

"A joke?" she said in disbelief. She looked from Ron to Harry and back. "Do you have any idea what you've put me through because of your little _joke_?"

"I do now, Harry's told me some of it. Please forgive me, Hermione, please. I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that. Stop!" she cried. "It doesn't help, it doesn't fix it. Why? Why would you do something like that to me, Ron? At least tell me why, make me understand."

Ron lowered his head. A half sob escaped his throat, but he swallowed hard and tentatively placed his hand next to Hermione's on the arm of the chair, close but not quite touching. "When we broke up I know it was a mutual decision, but I thought we'd still be friends, like Harry and Ginny. But you seemed to slip farther and farther away. I missed having you as my friend, Hermione, and I suppose I was a little angry. I swear I wasn't trying to hurt you, though. That night I saw you and thought how you're always so straight and proper and I thought it would be funny to see you acting wild and crazy for a change. I swear I never meant to hurt you, I didn't think—"

"That's exactly it, isn't it, Ron? You didn't think, you _never_ think, you just act on impulse and damn the consequences. Well, I'm going to spend the rest of my life living with the consequences of your little joke. Did Harry tell you that I'm pregnant now, because of my lack of inhibition that night?"

Ron gasped and his eyes flew to hers. "Oh, gods, Hermione. I'm sor—"

"Don't you dare say it again," she snarled at him. Laying her hands over her stomach, she continued in a calmer voice, "I'll never regret having this baby, but I admit if I'd had my choices it certainly would have happened differently." Suddenly her rage was gone and she just felt exhausted, she slumped back and sighed as she looked up a Harry. "Well, at least we can stop worrying about some crazy stalker."

Harry nodded. "Do you still want to press charges? Ron has agreed to take whatever punishment is doled out."

Hermione thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, I won't press charges, but I won't lie to Severus either."

"Severus?" asked Ron, confused. "Severus as in Snape? What's that greasy git have to do with anything?"

Hermione waggled her ring finger in front of Ron's face. "Severus, as in my fiancè," she replied.

Ron's face paled and he turned to Harry. "Bloody hell, Harry. I think I'd rather take my chances with Azkaban than Snape."

Hermione chuckled. She would probably feel the same way if faced with the wrath of Snape. She stood and reached for Ron's hand and pulled him to his feet. "As I said, Ron, I won't lie to him, but I can probably manage to put off telling him until tomorrow. I suggest that you go visit Charlie—where is he now? Estonia?—or someone else equally far from here and stay away for a good long while."

"George has been wanting to explore locations in the states for some new stores, maybe I'll volunteer for the job," replied Ron hastily. "Hermione, I'm really sorr... well, you know. And thanks for not pressing charges, though I wouldn't have blamed you if you had." He bent and brushed a quick kiss on her forehead before turning to leave. "Harry, I'll be in touch, mate."

When he was gone, Hermione sank back to the chair. "How did you figure it out?"

"Remember when I told you Pansy had offered to let us use her memories of that night, and she said she'd check with George too? Well, I guess George said something to Ron and when he got all weird about it, George suspected something. He confronted him outright and told Ron he'd better come and talk to me or he would."

"Who'd have guessed that George of all people would encourage someone to come clean about their misdeeds?" Hermione mused.

"You know, Hermione, I'm glad you didn't press charges. It would have been difficult for me to arrest Ron. But I almost wish you hadn't let him off so easily," confessed Harry.

"Maybe not as easy as you think. Don't forget, he'll be constantly looking over his shoulder wondering if Severus is going to come after him."

Harry laughed. "Well, there is that," he agreed.

Hermione's let her head fall back against the chair and stared at the ceiling. "Good Godric, I'm so glad this is all over."

"When I Floo'd, you said you had news, too. What is it?" asked Harry.

"Well, it turns out there was a Malfoy involved, but not quite the way we thought..." Hermione explained what they'd learned from Lucius.

When she finished, Harry stared at her with a goofy grin on his face. "So the baby actually is a little Snape or Snapette. Who would have ever thought it would all turn out like this?"

She chuckled, "I know, Lucius says it must be fate. Perhaps he's right."

Hermione rose and stepped to the Floo. Harry gave her a quick hug and then she went spinning off on her way home.

* * *

Lucius was still there when she got home, but there were no violent altercations going on now. The only thing being killed was a bottle of whisky. He and Severus were engaged in a game of wizards chess with glasses of Old Ogden's finest resting at their elbows. Hermione leaned down to wrap her arms around Severus and hugged him tightly before giving him a lingering kiss. "I love you," she whispered in his ear.

Then she addressed them both, "You two finish your game. I'm really knackered, I'm going up to bed. Good night, Severus. Lucius."

"Good night, my dear," Lucius responded, his eyes darting from Severus to her as she hurried up the stairs.

She was nearly half way up before Severus' voice stopped her. "Hermione? What was it that Harry wanted?"

"Errm... it turns out we won't need Lucius' Pensieve after all. Harry figured out who slipped me the potion."

"Who was it?" barked Severus, black brows coming together in a frown.

"It's a very long story. I'll explain it all tomorrow, love. Good night." She scampered the rest of the way up before Severus could say any more.

Lucius stared at Severus speculatively for a moment. "Well, aren't you going to go after her and demand to know who it was?"

"My guess is Weasley," replied Severus.

"Weasley? Which one?"

"Ron, ex-boyfriend, third member of the trio, Weasley," he said.

Lucius considered for a moment. "And what is it exactly that brings you to this conclusion?"

"If Harry had made an arrest she would have said so and revealed the culprit. If he didn't make an arrest it could only be because she did not press charges, leading me to believe it was someone close to her. There are only a handful of people with whom she has that type of friendship. I'm positive it wasn't Potter, or Lovegood. Neville Longbottom is a good friend to Hermione, but he definitely isn't the type to play that kind of joke on someone, and besides I don't believe he was present that night. I'm fairly certain it wasn't Pansy or George, although either of them are totally capable of something like that, they were both much too wrapped up in each other to spend time on extracurricular activities that night. This leaves Weasley as the most likely candidate."

"And she hides this from you because...?"

"She is putting off telling me until tomorrow, probably to give him a chance to make a safe getaway from my wrath."

Lucius again considered for a moment. His fingers ghosted lightly over his throat, as though recollecting his near strangulation at the hands of he friend earlier. "And will he? Escape your wrath, that is?"

Severus took a sip from his glass and smiled. "I rather think he shall. If anything, I might be inspired to thank him for his assistance in inadvertently helping me finally achieve my happily-ever-afters."

Lucius chuckled and lifted his glass in a toast. "The very best to you and the future Mrs. Snape. I must say, you never seem to take the easy route in anything you do, my friend."

"Easy? No. It was certainly was a roundabout route to happiness, but then some things are worth the struggle, Lucius. And my sprite is certainly one of those things. She was definitely well worth the struggle." He lifted his glass in a return toast, "Here's to strange bedfellows and happy endings."

~Fin~

* * *

AN: I promised to post the original prompt at the end of the story, so here it is. The Prompt was from pigwidgeon37 and the prompt was: For reasons known only to her and the author, Hermione had a drunken fling with *author's choice, but make it improbable and embarrassing*. A fling whose consequence will be born a few months later. Severus offers to make an honest woman of her - the kind of relationship they've had so far is up to the author. Does she accept? Refuse? What becomes of their relationship? Can be either dark or comedy.

Obviously I twisted the prompt a bit, but I did at least make Hermione think the fling had been with someone unexpected (Harry at first, then of course later she was thinking Lucius or Draco). But in the end I stayed with my ship, it's just that neither of them remembered it themselves.

I hope you've enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


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